I tried searching for answers to this, but couldn't find any resources. 1.) When Sarnak were first created, did the Iksar and Dragon "breed" an egg, or were they just merged into a combined being? 2.) I read that the Gorowyn Sarnak were lab created and require being put into tanks upon birth or they'll die. Why is this the case, and how long are they in there? 3.) After their initial creation, can the Di'Zok Sarnak breed naturally and produce eggs that don't die upon birth? 4.) Are Sarnak able to cross breed with Iksar and/or Dragons at this point? Thanks. I've been doing a lot of lore reading lately and I'm very curious about this artificial Race.
1. The most that we've ever been told in good detail is that Emperor Atrebe created the Sarnak to be the ultimate slave-soldiers for the Iksar empire. Magic was heavily involved with combining dragon and iksar DNA, but I'd be surprised if any actual mating was involved. I'm absolutely certain no dragon would willingly do so, and if the Iksar had somehow managed to capture one, then neither side is willing to admit it. Atrebe's Laboratory in Fens of Nathsar has some of the old sarnak tanks that incubated the Di'Zok Sarnaks when he created them. You need two people to actually get inside though, but the zone gives a little bit of detail about his creations. 2. I don't believe it's ever been mentioned just how long a hatchling must incubate inside the tanks before they're ready. The Sarnak racial quest tells of how a Sarnak's purpose in life seems to be genetically engrained upon its creation. Most of them KNOW what their purpose is to be-- a guard, a merchant, whatever. The Sarnak racial quest discusses how some of them are destined to be adventurers for reasons that the entire society doesn't quite understand. How was it described? You are destined to not have a given destiny? Something like that. 3. If they can, then there's nothing in Gorowyn that would indicate it. No dedicated hatcheries or anything. Just the Grand Athenaum where the tanks are held and the Conservatory of the Reborn down the hall where the druid trainers are found. 4. I don't think any of the three would ever willingly try. There's a LOT of bad blood all around.
Interesting. I didn't realize that the Di'Zok also required incubator tanks. In EverQuest 1, I don't remember ever seeing any in Chardok. I had assumed that because the Di'Zok had a King and a Queen, as well as the females being so much larger than the males, that they were capable of natural reproduction after their initial creation. I thought that the Sarnak player race in EQ2 was different from the Di'Zok in that regard and that only the player species needed to be incubated. It seems like there's some level of reproduction to get them to hatch in the first place though?
The detail about the tanks is just to prove that they were ultimately conceptualized and artificially created in a laboratory. I don't remember off hand if there's ever been any lore about just how any form of Sarnak actually reproduces. The great majority of them are effectively immortal (as questlines relating to Chardok reveal) and will never die of old age, so it's possible that they have no need for standard forms of reproduction.
But it seems like they can reproduce though? It talks about how the Sarnak have to be put into the tanks after they're born or they'll die. Something has to be causing them to be born initially. I didn't know Sarnak were immortal though. Where can I read more on that? Is that EQ1 or EQ2 Chardok quests?
The Chardok questlines. Outside of Chardok is a faction of Di'Zok who wants to basically overthrow the reigning king and queen who reside inside. Upon completing the timeline, they mention how their army will be waging war for thousands of years after we all pass away, starting with the Di'Zok, then eventually the Iksar and the dragons themselves, and then the rest of Norrath. Inside Chardok are Immortal Guardians patrolling the hallways. They are made from dragons, who themselves actually are immortal and do not die of old age. Back in EQ1, there existed the Dragon Necropolis in the Western Wastes of Velious. Part of the lore of that zone is that if any dragon feels that they've experienced enough of life, they may commit a ritual suicide by jumping into a giant pit of fire.
