Mayong Mistmoore - My gathered lore tidbits

i don't see how people are getting that mayong was there before dragons vhalan's quote just says "he's said to have seen the first of Veeshan's brood on Norrath."

doesn't say he saw them being put on norrath just that he saw them. meaning he was among the first beings on norrath, not necessarily the first but he saw the first ones.

quamdar wrote:

Placed into the full context, in which she's stressing how old he is, our's is a valid interpretation; especially since virtually every EQ1 player has themselves seen one or more of "the first of Veeshan's brood on Norrath". That statement isn't remarkable in the least, and therefore not worth including in a discussion of Mayong's age, unless it refers to being present when the brood was placed.

Edit: edited for clarity

If I'm not mistaken, the original Mayong from EQ1 had the Maestro of Rancor graphic and did not in any way resemble an elf. Later on (I think after they removed him from Mistmoore Castle perhaps), he showed up as a dark elf. I don't know if there was a story behind the appearance change or not.

Aragmar123 wrote:

Oh he looks like an elf, alright.

I think the reason they didn't use the Maestro graphic for Mayong during GM events was because they didn't want him to look like the Maestro. Originally, he did indeed have that model, and he was originally found in the tower right at the front of the zone in the courtyard of Castle Mistmoore. His model was so big though, that he would easily agro anyone who got close to the tower. The zone was designed that you wouldn't reach teh tower without going through the entire zone first. He was taken out of the zone before the game went live, and gave the Maestro of Rancor his own lore when Plane of Hate was released.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Mayong an Elddar elf? If that is so, then he is not older than dragons. Reading the dev's staement that was copied and quoted above but not linked so we could see the full context or the thread it related to (Please linky next time?)... It would appear that he was old enough to have seen Veeshan's first brood, not older than the brood.
Also, that quote says, "It is said." That right there tells me that this statement is perhaps an over-exaggerated bit of Norrathian history, especially after Kaitheel posted in this thread that "not everything in Norrath lines up beautifully. Keep in mind that all the information you find in game, whether through book or dialog, is being delivered from someone's point of view. They may have an agenda or a personal slant that will bring to light seemingly contradictory points from another's telling."

troodon wrote:

what dragons that are around right now are from the original brood placed on norrath? it was always my impression that the dragons present on norrath now were a few generations down the line from the original dragons placed by veeshan.

Cusashorn wrote:

Ugh, what is that thing? Looks absolutely dreadful, I wouldn't have guessed it was an elf except for the pointy ears. Oh well, maybe it's because of the graphics.....

This is better:




Looks pretty much like a dark elf to me. But what is that cross-looking scar on the right side of his face?

Looks pretty much like a dark elf to me. But what is that cross-looking scar on the right side of his face?

I believe that the "Ank" scar he recieved when the Freethinkers tried to Kill Mayong. Theres an NPC in the Peacock club (after finishing Pris 2.0) that states they fought Mayong and with the Ank left their "mark" on him during the battle. The Ank itself i cant remember where it came from.. the Silent City possibly. But I think it's powerful enough that Malkonis mentions it when you fight him in the Freethinker hideout.

^ What he said. The scar on his cheek is the closest the Freethinkers Society has ever come to killing Mayong. Unfortunately for them, the very relic that was designed to kill vampires was no more effective on Mayong than leaving that very scar.

Amphibia wrote:

That thing is, as the picture shows, The Maestro of Rancor, a Qeynosian Bard who became jealous and hateful of his wife (or perhaps girlfriend, can't remember for sure) and I believe murdered her. Innoruuk used his hatred and twisted him into that thing, allowing him to stay in the Plane of Hate to entertain for the rest of eternity.

Zerfall@Permafrost wrote:

Yep, thats his story, but that model really is THE original Mayong Mistmoore.

quamdar wrote:

All of the talisman dragons for Sleeper's access, for starters. Jaled Dar refers to them directly as First Brood. I think it's safe to assume that Jaled Dar himself as well as Trakanon are also part of the First Brood, but I have no in-game evidence to support that.

Why wouldn't the original Dragons still be around? It's not like they're mortal or anything... and I can't imagine mortal Norrathians (Age of Turmoil adventurers aside) being terribly efficient at wiping them out. The death of a First Brood seems to have been a very, very big deal, judging by the quest regarding Hsagra's (I think that was her name) fate at the hand of the Giants.

First brood dragons that may be alive still:

Lord Yelinak
Klandicar
Zlandicar
Sontalak

First brood that are dead:

Jaled'Dar (died in battle with Emperor Ganak of the Iksar over the Field of Bone, was leader of the Ring of Scale)
Hsagra (mate of Lord Yelinak, was killed by the Kromzek Giant King Porlos, the throne in Kael Drakkel is made out of Hsagra's skull)
Illiandar (i think died fighting Kerafyrm during the Dragon Civil War)

Sadly, I'm not up to date on my dragon lore. Perhaps we could start a new thread about the First Brood?

Heres a theory. I repeat THEORY. lol just throwing this out there.
In another thread that I read, it was said that the Elves waged a war upon Veeshan's Brood back in the days of Takish'Hiz before the king and queen were taken by Innoruuk, and that they were successful. Now if that is the lore that the devs are going with, then Vahlar's statement could very well mean that Mayong was one of the elves that fought in this war.
Now I'm gonna take it a step further, assuming that this is the case, there were a legendary "Three" amongst those elves who were particularly powerful elf lords and known not only for their prowess in battle, but also a prophecy that no enemy would ever strike them down in combat. These two of the three fell to madness at the hands of Innoruuk in the Plane of Hate, but it was rumored that the third may have escaped the Plane of Hate somehow though he also went through the madness the others died as a result of.
I don't know about you but that sounds like a pretty worthy of the origins of Mayong Mistmoore. This is pure speculation of course, what do you guys think?

The story of the three is taken from the EQ PnP origins of the Tier'Dal, isn't it? Though an interesting theory, I am not sure that the EQ2 devs went with the PnP version of the Teir'Dal creation. The only comments I've heard from them regarding the creation story is, "Innoruuk kidnapped the first King and Queen, and tortured and twisted them over 300 years, resulting in the first Teir'Dal." This was their response when asked how much of the PnP version was applicable to EQ2 lore. They didn't say that they wouldn't use any of it, just that they aren't telling us, heh.
Also, I find it extremely important to note that Vahlar is not an EQ2 lore dev, she's the EQ lore dev that took over after several others left to go to EQ2, Vanguard, and whatnot. That said, she is THE authority (to my knowledge, anyways) currently for EQ lore. However, that is the scope of her expertise. If Vhalen were to make a statement that contradicted current EQ lore, like, say, it was the ogres who drove the Forgloks out of Gukta (Grobb), not a united force of Teir'Dal, trolls, and other evils, then he would be mistaken. Why? Because that is not how the lore devs in EQ decided to have it go. In EQ2 history, the 2nd Rallosian Empire cleared out the Guktans, but in EQ history, it was a force of Tier'Dal, Trolls, and ogres (I think, I cannot say for certain, as I haven't played EQ in sometime, and was not able to witness the campeign).
In such a manner, what Vahlar says describes the current lore with Mayong and the Depths of Darkhollow, and the Plane of Blood, and all of the things that entails, but does not necessarily reflect the accepted lore that is in the EQ2 timeline.
This has been discussed in another thread somewhere, though where it is exactly, I don't know..
Bottom line: Vahlar is an EQ lore dev, not an EQ2 lore dev, take what she says as such.

I just see the most likely of scenarios being that Mayong was an ancient elf lord, who through some evil influence (most likely Innoruuk but perhaps something else), was turned to Vampirism. I base this assumption not only on his overall appearance, but also his arrogance (clearly an elven trait from the beginning) as well as his willingness to lead others. I highly doubt that he was some pre-Veeshan Norathian, and I highly doubt that he was a direct creation of Innoruuk because the lack of a created race was what led Innoruuk to twist the Elves in the first place. I'm not ruling out that he could have been a creation of some other deity. Perhaps Luclin? That would make sense to me. Would explain the aversion to sunlight. Anyway the truth is that there are many likely and unlikely explainations and perhaps the devs will shed light on it at some point. For now we are just as much in the dark as our Norathian counterparts about the Vampire lord.

Of course in EQLive now, the Real Mayong Mistmoore looks more like:

In comparing him to his EQII version, I'm impressed by how SIMILAR they made him. In EQII his hair has gone whiter, but that seems to be it. Even his armor is very similar in appearance.

Oh and sadly Vhalar has left EQ (and SOE) for greener fields. Currently we do not have an 'official' Lore Dev over there.

Saroc_Luclin wrote:

In my mind, Vhalen will be the only lore dev that both Everquest and Everquest 2 has ever had.

A very good write-up on Mayong, I must say! However, I did notice that there is a piece of lore that I've always remembered from EQ1 which was missing. I went over to North Felwithe on my Everquest 1 account and managed to find the exact NPC's words for you to read, highlighting the portion that "sealed the deal" as it were, for me anyway, of how powerful Mayong Mistmoore truely can be. The NPC was a used as a reward-giver for GM events, those who participated were given a coin which in turn, was given to this NPC. Without further adieu, here is the story he tells...


You say, 'Hail Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato bows at the waist, his manner sincere and regal with the soft smile upon his lips. ''Greetings and good day Landail, I trust that [you are well]?''

You say, 'I am well.'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'Excellent! It is quite a pleasant day, indeed. However, I am curious, and I do not mean not [to pry], but by what grace of Tunare have I the pleasure of your company? Perhaps you merely [travel], or is it [me] you truly seek?

You say, 'It is you that I seek.'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato blinks in surprise, a sense of pride lighting is face. ''I see. It has been some time since I have been called upon in [this realm]. I am afraid that I cannot leave [my post], however, I shall pray for Tunare?s guidance to the answers you seek.''

You say, 'What is your post in this realm?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'I am Lord Nethryn the Arbitrator, once a devout priest of Tunare, and now a most loyal servant. I once resided within the [Realm of Heroes], but she has called upon me again to [serve] as I did once within my [mortal form] and years.

You say, 'What did you serve in your mortal form?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato sighs heavily, a look of trouble and sorrow upon his brow. ''Several centuries past, within the first years of [his majesty's] rise to the throne, I served as the High Priest of Tunare and was head of the [council], that most dreadful council. I do not regret my past work, as I did [what needed to be done] then. It was all for the benefit of our people, both Fier'Dal and Koada'Dal alike.''

You say, 'What council do you speak of?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'The council I served upon was a council of five priests and a single knight, all of which were devout in the most sincere meaning of the word to the Earth Mother. With the rising [activities] of the most vile [Lord Mistmoore], the council was placed as a judge and jury for all who had become infected with the [disease].

You say, 'What sort of activities did Mistmoore do?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'The Vampire Lord, Mayong Mistmoore, who continues his tyrannical and monstrous rise in power within our neighboring forest had begun to manifest is power in attempts to further his rule and dominion over the continent of Faydwer. In the Lord's attempts, he unleashed the Lycanthropy virus upon the forests, infecting many of our nation's people. In time, the virus had been eliminated and was no longer a threat, but the [souls] of those who were unfortunate enough to meet the council did not survive, but were avenged.

You say, 'What souls?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'There were too many to count. . . Far too many condemned souls. There was nothing we could do for them but ease their pain and assist to keep the virus from spreading to the other inhabitants of our nation. No cure existed, and to this day, a cure continues to evade us. I still remember the [last] victim that I had to condemn before Tunare chose me for ascension.

You say, 'Who was this last victim?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato 's eyes swell with pain and fury. ''A young girl by the name of Khasra, was the youngest that our council had to attend and judge. I will never forget her face, nor the voice of her pleading mother. Forever I shall regret that decision, and regret our ignorance to her [threat].''

You say, 'What was her threat?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'The young girl's mother had threatened to take Khasra to the Lord's domain and seek a cure there if we did not further our search for one. She would not allow her daughter to fall to the same fate as all the others had. We ignored her threat, and in turn, the girl now walks as a servant of Mistmoore, eternally embraced as one of his monstrous creations. I pray with every waking energy of my being for her, and still I know not why Tunare has chosen me for this [task and glory].

You say, 'What is your task and glory?'

Lord Nethryn the Arbitrato says 'I am a herald, a harbinger, and a judge of the Earth Mother. I have been charged with the duty of [accepting] those who have won the eyes and favor of the gods and returning to them recognition and reward for their deeds.


So, as I've interpreted it, not only has Mayong lived for millennia and survived thumbing his nose at the Ring of Scale, but is also responsible for the creation of Lycanthropy. ( Or at the very least, bringing it to Faydwer ) Certainly explains all those flea-ridden pups that come at his beck and call, hmm?