I created a ratonga recently and did my usual make them start evil with the intent to betray to good. I usually always betray a class from one side to the other, if I want to make a Shadowknight for example, I start as a Paladin and betray them. It add interest to the game for me...getting off track. I thought about it and Neriak feels like it would be the perfect home for the Ratonga. They come from underground so it make senses to have an underground city. So I wanted to make a game, what Race belongs to what city in your mind? It's all about the feel for the city itself, not the good or evil or the other baggage that would come with the city normally. So how about it?
Official lore states that the Rending ended up opening the underground where the Ratonga originated from. The city of Freeport was the closest city that wasn't in ruins at the time, so they integrated under the Overlord's rule. For the first 7 or so years, Ratonga was an evil-only race, and had to betray to live in Qeynos. Then the City of Qeynos storyline showed that a large group of Ratonga felt that they weren't inherently evil and wanted to make amends with the Qeynosians to show that they have no bad intentions. Queen Antonia agreed to let them start living in Qeynos. They still have a ways to go with dispelling the stereotypes that they're evil and disease-ridden, but they've proven their allegiance and intentions. Every race in the game except for the Freebloods and Aerakyn have a home city (or home island for the Kerrans) somewhere in the game, and those two in particular address the fact that they're outcasts from their source of origin. I guess I've followed the lore of the game for too long to "feel" like any race belongs to any particular city besides the cities that they're traditionally associated with.
Wow, way to not read the post. It is a game, you don't take the actual lore into it. Shouldn't expect too much from the "that's the way it's always been" person though.
Coming originally from EQ1, I miss when each race (and also some classes) had their own unique starting city, and in my head that's what I think of when I consider your question. It was enjoyable to me to have a totally different starting experience every time I tried a different race/class combination. Gnome: Ak:Anon (dungeon now in EQ2) Iksar: Cabilis (ruins in EQ2) Erudite: Erudin (Paineel for evil Erudites) High Elf: Felwithe (dungeon now in EQ2) Human: Freeport, Qeynos, or Surefall Glade, depending on class/deity Troll: Grobb (part of Innothule Swamp zone) Froglok: Gukta Barbarian: Halas Dwarf: Kaladim (dungeon now in EQ2) Wood Elf: Kelethin Dark Elf: Neriak Ogre: Oggok Halfing: Rivervale Vah Shir: Shar Vhal (zone in EQ2 but high level only) Half elves: Same places as humans and woodelves. Kerra wasn't a playable race in EQ1, but lived on the Odus continent. Ratonga - I agree Neriak would be a good fit since it's underground, or Freeport since it has extensive sewers. Fae - Greater Faydark does seem a good starting place for them. Arasai - Neriak also makes sense to me. Aerakyn - dragons were all over Velious in EQ1, makes sense to me that they would also come from there.
Yeah, I can see how having your mind set from EQ1 would make it hard to place them other areas. It does make sense for the Arasai to come from Neriak but if they had platforms and such in Nek forest, that would be a cool counterpart to Greater Faydark for them as well.
One of these days, I need to create a character in EQ1 and run around looking at some of the cities and areas to get a feel for the old zones before the shattering and other upheavals that the story says caused EQ2 to look so different.
I do miss the old villages where they had starting populations by race. Just miss having those zones.
