The (Updated) History of Norrath

I made this post to hopefully answer all those questions on the lore of Everquest that we experience here. If anyone has any additions, particularly all those famous GM events, or revisions of part of this post then please post them and I will consider editing them into the OP. I am intentionally leaving out Everquest lore other than that from EQ1 and 2 because it would only complicate things with its contradictoriness (new word!)
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The Creation Story:
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"It is said that outside of space and time an entity known only as the Nameless exists, and that this being created all that there is and was and will be. It is also written in ancient texts that from His mind sprang not only the universe and its countless suns and worlds, but also a myriad of sentient, powerful, yet finite creatures whom one such as a man, or elf, or dwarf, would call a god.
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In aeons past came one of these gods upon the world Norrath. Veeshan, Crystalline Dragon and ruler of the Plane of Sky, found this world pleasing and deposited her brood onto the frozen continent of Velious. With one swipe of her mighty claws, Veeshan opened several great wounds upon the surface of Norrath, staking her claim to this promising new world. Dragons then walked the land and flew the skies, powerful beings of great intellect, wisdom, and strength. Thus began the Age of Scale. In time the other gods noticed Veeshan's work, and being often petty and jealous beings, they too came upon Norrath, intent upon leaving their mark. Brell Serilis was first, and from his Plane of Underfoot, a dark realm of vast caves and endless tunnels, he quietly created a magical portal to a cavern deep in the belly of Norrath. Through this portal the Duke of Underfoot seeded the depths of Norrath with all manner of creatures. Brell then returned home, sealing his portal within a labyrinthine chamber of mystical Living Stone.
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And when the other gods came to Norrath, Brell Serilis approached each of them, and after some time convinced them to meet as one to discuss the fate of the world. The Great Mother Tunare, and Prexus, The Oceanlord were in attendance, and Rallos Zek, the warlord, was also there, yet in mistrust kept his distance. Brell, carefully avoiding all queries as to the origins of his information, told of Veeshan's discovery of the new and potentially powerful world in which she had deposited her brood. Words befit of the King of Thieves poured forth from Brell's lips and he proposed that they accept an alliance of sorts, to which all save Rallos Zek agreed, ignorant of the fact that Brell had already released some of his creations into the Underfoot of this new world. The planet that would be called Norrath was divvied up between these beings of power for the purpose of keeping the Wurmqueen in check. Each would create a race of beings to watch over Norrath and keep a vigilant eye on the schemes of Dragonkind. Brell claimed the bowels of the planet and created the Dwarves, stout and strong, deep beneath the mountains of Norrath. In the abysmal depths of the oceans Prexus left his children, the Kedge, hearty aquatic beings of great mental power and stamina. And on the surface of Norrath did Tunare create the Elves, creatures of limitless grace and beauty, and Rallos Zek the Giants, fierce and formidable beings, intent upon the defense of their lands. Thus began the Elder Age.
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It was inevitable that such energies involved in seeding planets with life would attract even more of the gods, and it was the Elves who drew the unwanted attention of Innoruuk, Prince of Hate. In a decrepit tower overlooking the dark decaying alleys of the Plane over which he ruled, Innoruuk waited, stoking the fire of his Hate until it was a raging inferno. He cursed his fellow gods for not including him in their pact and vowed to make them regret such disrespect. From the halls of the Elves' fair city, Takish-Hiz, the Prince of Hate snatched away the first Elven King and Queen. In his realm of pain and anger he slowly tore them apart, physically and mentally, over the course of three hundred years. He then gathered the quivering remnants of these beings of light and rebuilt them into his own dark sadistic image, a twisted mockery of Tunare's noble children. In depositing the Teir'Dal, as Innoruuk's Dark Elven creations would come to be called, back into the Underfoot of Norrath, the seeds for The Prince of Hate's final revenge were sown.
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Fizzlethorpe Bristlebane and Cazic-Thule came next to Norrath, and Brell met them, concocting a second pact with these latter gods, wishing another excuse to create more peoples into the world. Rallos Zek again watched from afar, determined to add to his creation as well, and this time Brell convinced the Warlord to join the pact, assuring him that it was indeed an appropriate time to fulfill his desires. Deep in the earth did Brell return to create the gnomes, resembling dwarves to some extent, yet more wiry and gnarled, consumed with tinkering with devices more so than their cousins. On the surface, away from Elves and Giants, Bristlebane made the Halflings, short and stubby folk, agile and with a propensity to meddle and even pilfer at times. Cazic-Thule, Lord of Fear, was drawn to the swamps and jungles of Norrath and there created the green skinned Trolls and reptilian Lizard Men. And Rallos Zek returned to the surface, pleased with his sanction to create even more peoples for his army. He made then the Ogres, massive, unmovable beings of questionable intelligence, and the Orcs, bred for battle and singled-minded in their desire for conquest.
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By this time, those who are now known as the elder races of Norrath had begun to expand and mature. Villages became cities, and cities became kingdoms. Several of the races became bent on expansion and warfare became part of their developing cultures. And of all the races, it was the Ogres who quickly proved the most interested in battle and plunder, and their empire grew outward from their mountain home until it eventually encompassed a large portion of Tunaria, largest of the known continents. Their knowledge of magic grew as did their greed, until they became weary of only Norrath, and when they learned of other planes and dimensions, invaded the Plane of Earth itself. Rallos Zek watched with pride as his creations challenged the gods of that realm, and when they eventually knew defeat, the Warlord himself led a second invasion. The war that ensued shook the heavens and angered the greater gods. Through their combined might, Rallos Zek was finally thwarted and forced back to his domain, after which a great barrier to the Planes of Power was erected, denying entry to both the lesser gods and mortals as well. And then, in what some view as spite and others justice, the gods cursed the Warlord's creations. Thousands of Ogres were slain and their empire collapsed around them. The Giants were spread from one end of the earth to the other, forced to flee their homes as the gods brought snow and ice to their previously lush lands. And the goblins were also cursed, but no writings remain of their punishment as they no longer keep records of their history (which is perhaps some indication as to the severity of their curse). Thus began the Age of Monuments.
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As the dust settled, the last of the gods came to Norrath. Mithaniel Marr, god of Valor, and Erollisi Marr, goddess of Love, created the Barbarians, a hardy race who settled the cold and rugged northlands, near the ruins of the Giant empire. Being the youngest race, they were generally unwashed and rugged, possessing very few social graces. And while they too had a warlike culture, there were those amongst them who began to believe in something more. By this time the other civilizations of Norrath had either long since declined, or were well on their way, and this small minority of Barbarians saw an opportunity to triumph where the others had failed. Perhaps this was a seed of wisdom planted by the Marr Twins, or perhaps it was only by chance, but as the Barbarians spread out across the lands, warring with both each other and any other race encountered, this tiny movement continued to grow. And so even amidst desolation and war, there was hope. Thus began the Age of Blood.
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The last of the old races to decline was the empire of the Elves. The Elddar Forest spread across the entire southeastern quarter of Tunaria. Cities and villages built high into the trees housed thousands of Wood Elves, and the marble cities of the High Elves were built in the forest's clearings and meadows, their white towers and spires climbing out of the forest, higher than the tallest tree. But then came the last curse of the gods, as Solusek Ro, Lord of Flame, arched the spine of the serpent mountains, bringing heat from the burning sun to the ancient forest. The rivers ran dry, it rained less each year, and while the great elven druids fought long and hard, using their powerful magics to combat the change, they could only delay the inevitable. Slowly the forest gave way to desert, and eventually even great Takish-Hiz crumbled and the elves were forced to flee Tunaria, leaving much of their greatness behind. Thus began the Lost Age.
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This next period of Norrathean history as it relates to many of the races is the least known. It is surmised by the more knowledgeable historians that while the elder races regrouped and reestablished themselves, a small group of Barbarians were suddenly transformed both physically and intellectually. Most believe this to be the last major and direct act of divine intervention, and perhaps the reason so little is known about this period is that the gods wish it to be so, deciding afterwards that they would have less to do with their creations. In any case, this small and enlightened group were the fathers of the Human race, and they rapidly gained a foothold throughout the lands, studying the lost art of geomancy. The Combine Empire, as this lost race of Humans is called, spread throughout the known world, but then died even more quickly than it grew, and for reasons still unknown. And while they are the ancestors of every Human on Norrath and their relics and ruins still litter the lands from Odus to Faydwer, little history of this period remains.
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After the fall of the Combine Empire, the remnants of mankind dwelled mostly in the center of Tunaria, inhabiting primarily the vast and fertile plains of Karana. Villages appeared and prospered, several reaching the size of towns, and two even became cities. To the west a strong and noble band of Humans, lead by Antonius Bayle the First, founded Qeynos under the lofty principles of law. Freeport, to the east, became an active and dangerous port of call for all who dared to venture into the Ocean of Tears. Humanity, much to the disdain of the elder races who watched from afar, remained strong, even daring to rename their home after one of their own instead of one of the gods. The great continent of Tunaria would forever more be known as Antonica. This is not to imply, however, that humanity was at peace. Competition was fierce, and when resources grew scarce for one reason or another many groups abandoned the promises and alliances of their past and fought. A few leaders spoke out against the violence, urging the masses to remember why they had fled the cold north. Others reminded them of their former glory and the might of the Combine Empire. These leaders insisted that humanity adhere once again to those principals to which all had agreed. Explorers and adventurers returned from afar with tales of elves, dwarves, and other strange creatures, as well as descriptions of ancient abandoned cities. A few even came back with limited knowledge of sorcery and the mystic arts. And when that discontent minority of leaders heard all of this, they became both jealous and determined.
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A small, frail man of great intellect called Erud led this group, and he formed them into a council. They quickly became irritated, even disgusted, by their fellow man. Leaving a small network of spies behind, the remainder of Erud's followers fled the city of Qeynos and boarded a small fleet of ships. They sailed to the west and landed upon the barren coast of the island of Odus. The land was sparse and uninhabited and quite appealing to the council and their people. They quickly built a city of their own, dissimilar in almost every way to both Qeynos and Freeport, for it was almost entirely a towering castle. Erudin it was called, and within it the scribes and scholars, who called themselves High Men, gathered and analyzed reports, captured books and scrolls, and other artifacts brought to them by their spies. The first human mages since the Combine Empire were born – wizards, sorcerers, and enchanters occupied the great halls of Erudin and grew immensely in both power and knowledge. Thus began the Age of Enlightenment.
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It came to pass some years later that a small group of Erudites discovered the lost art of Necromancy. They were branded heretics and great conflict arose. For the first time in several hundred years, the Erudites fought. They engaged in a civil war not entirely dissimilar to that which they had loathed and fled from back on the mainland. But there was one very significant difference – they did not use swords and bows, but rather magic, and the result was terrible. Lives by the hundreds were lost, great buildings and structures destroyed, and eventually the heretics were forced to flee Erudin, to hide and regroup in the southern regions of Odus. In one final battle, great mystic energies were released and an immense hole leading to unknown depths beneath the earth was created. Into the sides of this chasm the heretics built their own city which they called Paineel. And while both sides still seethed with anger and hatred towards one another, their fear of what the last battle had wrought has kept any further conflict at bay. Thus began the Age of Turmoil."
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Norrath:
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Norrath is the planet that Everquest takes place in. It exists in the Realm of Order (something you don't really need to worry about outside of Everquest 1) and is ruled over by a great pantheon of gods mentioned in the Creation Story and detailed in the links below:
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Main Deities
Sub-deities: http://eq.ogaming.com/data/2825~Sub-Dieties.php
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Norrath itself is inhabited by many different races, mentioned above but detailed below:
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Races according to EQ1:
Races according to EQ2:
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Important points:
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There's a vampire lord named Mayong Mistmoore. We don't know where exactly he comes from, or how he came to be the way that he is, but we do know that he is the original vampire on the world of Norrath. According to the EQ1 LDoN expansion he used the catacombs underneath his castle on Faydwer (Castle Mistmoore) as a place in which to try and construct the perfect vampire. He eventually decided it was futile and abandoned his creatures and his castle to be pillaged by adventurers. In the centuries separating EQ2 from EQ1 Mayong ascended to godhood (becoming the God of Blood) and then volunarily gave up being a deity for reasons unknown.
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Beings known as Shadowmen were commonly found throughout Norrath during the Age of Turmoil. Their origins and purpose were, at the time, unknown. Now, in the Age of Destiny, we have learned that the Shadowmen are part of an invading force from a place known as the Void and their plan is to consume Norrath. The Shadowmen have horrible allies and their influence can be seen throughout the Shattered Lands.
There was a great sorceror named Miragul. He was a great Erudite sorcerer who dabbled in all 4 schools of magic (Wizardry, Magery, Necromancy, and Enchanteringlyness). He was a really paranoid guy and he eventually settled on living in a great underground residence up in the frozen north of Antonica (Everfrost). There, in a huge maze of caverns and rooms filled with books and stuff he created all sorts of cool creatures. He eventually destroyed himself in an attempt to become a lich and now his body and his soul wander his managerie separately. Mirigul has not been seen in centuries but his Minagerie still lies hidden in the tundra of Everfrost.
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Prior to EverQuest's first expansion 3 planes were added to the game. The Plane of Sky (ruled by the Goddess of Sky, the crystalline dragon Veeshan, though she was not in the game because she is so enormous), the Plane of Fear (the home of the God of Fear, Cazic Thule), and the Plane of Hate (the home of the God of Hate, Innoruuk).
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Here is a map of what Norrath looked like before the Rending and the Shattering:
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Edit: added the "Norrath" section
Edit: a similar thread with some different points of focus can be found here: http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/...message.id=1455
Edit: changed Plane of Air to Plane of Sky and changed the ruling goddess accordingly
Edit: added a map of old Norrath
Edit: fixed some links to removed material (EQ1 races still broken)
Edit: updated to be accurate after 2 years of laziness

The Expansions of EQ1:




The first expansion released for EQ1 was the Ruins of Kunark (RoK). This expansion revolved around the newly discovered continent of Kunark. Kunark was a land split amongst many powerful and angry races, the Iksar, the Ring of Scale (a council of dragons), the Sarnak (Iksar-Dragons), Giants (forest and mountain varieties), and the Dark Elf/Spider chimeras called Drachnids who were used as spies by Mayong Mistmoore. I would go into the history of the Iksar but it's so long it would just make this thread a little too large. Suffice to say that they were once slaves of the Shissar, they were freed by the Greenmist and made their own empire which was subsequently destroyed by slave revolts and dragons. At this point in time they were conspiring to rebuild the nation they had lost.




The next expansion was the Scars of Velious (SoV). Velious was the frozen continent to the south where Veeshan first clawed Norrath and deposited her dragon brood. Velious was discovered by some gnomes that made a huge icebreaking boat that you could get to by taking a raft to an island in the Iceclad Ocean. Velious is dominated by 3 factions: the giants, the dwarves, and the dragons. The giants (Storm and Frost giants) are peculiar in that they were somehow spared the curse placed on giants after RWI (Rallosian War I); they particularly dislike the dragons. The dwarves (who fancy themselves as the Coldain) are the survivors of a ship that wrecked itself on the Continent; they particularly dislike the giants. The dragons are the children and descendants of Veeshan and they also particularly dislike the giants. Velious was the expansion in which the entire Sleeper plot unfolded (I'm sure you can read about that elsewhere) and added to the game the Plane of Growth (the realm of Tunare) and the Plane of Mischief (the realm of Bristlebane).



The next expansion was the Shadows of Luclin (SoL). In this expansion a great wizard of Norrath discovered a way that persons could be teleported to the invisible moon of Luclin. To our surprise we adventurers discovered that some others from our world had already come up to the moon, namely the remnants of the Combine Empire, a group of Kerra now calling themselves the Vah'Shir, and the Shissar race. This expansion was filled with subplots that I cannot even begin to go into for the sake of space. Let's just say that these new teleportation spells sent adventurers into the Nexus, a very magical platform. The Nexus became a huge **shock** nexus of travel for Norrathians (until PoP at least).



The next expansion was the Planes of Power (PoP). This expansion saw the opening of many other alter planes ruled over by Norrath's gods. Among these were the planes of Disease, Justice, Tranquility, Knowledge, Tactics (not War for some reason), Water, Earth, Fire, and Time. This was the time when all us cool, insolant mortals started massacring the gods, elemental and otherwise. There was a plot about Rallos Zek (God of War) and Solusek Ro (God of Flame) and then a larger plot about a guy named Zebuxoruk that you can find somewhere in the lore section of these forums if you do a good enough search. Suffice to say you go to the Plane of Time, defeat a bunch of gods, defeat a 4-headed dragon made up of the elemental gods, free Zebuxoruk, and then get sent back in time by the demi-goddess of magic.




The next expansion was the Legacy of Ykesha (LoY). It told about how the Trolls of Grobb went on some sort of crusade against the Trolls of Broken Skull Rock in an effort to get back a sacred stone. While they were gone Mithaniel Marr made a bunch of the Frogloks living in Guk super-badass and told them to capture the Troll city. They did and the Trolls were forced to seek refuge in the Dark Elf city of Neriak, which neither race much appreciated. Living on Broken Skull Rock, in addition to the Trollish pirates, were the race of the Luggolds. The Luggolds were a race created by Innoruuk to be his chosen people after the Teir'Dal had betrayed him by supporting raids on his Plane of Hate.




The next expansion was the Lost Dungeons of Norrath (LDoN). In this expansion a group of famed adventurers named the Wayfarers of Brotherhood discovered a mage who (thanks to the ability to communicate with Zebuxoruk) told them where all these secret dungeons were located. The Wayfarers then sort of hired out adventurers to go into these places and do certain tasks for them. The Dungeons were Miragul's Managerie in Everfrost (mentioned above), the Catacombs of Mistmoore (mentioned above), Deepest Guk (a bunch of Guktan [blessed] Frogloks were somehow turned evil and took up residence deep in the old city of Guk; I didn't spend much time in there), Takish-Hiz (the ruins of the old Elddar Elven capital deep beneath the sands of Ro, mentioned above), and the Rujarkian Hills (mines and caverns infested with Orcs unlike any seen elsewhere in Norrath).




There have been several more expansions since then but the lore within them believe is not being included wholly in the lore of EQ2 so I while not bother you with them.




Since EQ1:




In the time separating EverQuest 1 from EverQuest 2 many incredible things have happened to the world of Norrath, some are detailed in the Tome of Destiny and many more ingame. This is a timeline that you can use to get some idea as to how these things happened. This is by no means official but should give you a rough idea:




The Council of Gods: This happened in the EQ1 timeline, after the LoY expansion but before GoD. ~400 years ago I would guess.




The War of the Fay: This happened rather shortly after EQ1 and EQ2 diverged, no idea how long it lasted. ~400-350 years ago I would guess.




The Invasion of the Nexus: Occurs after the initiation of hostilities in the War of the Fay as noted by Kassanya in another thread. ~400-300 years ago I would guess.




The Halfling Attack on Neriak: Happens some time after the War of the Fay began, could be before or after the Attack on the Nexus. ~375-350 years ago I would guess.




The Awakening of the Ogres and 2nd Rallosian War: Happens after the Invasion of the Nexus, does not last too long anywhere with the possible exception of Luclin. ~350-300 years ago I would guess.




The Rending: ~175 years ago and lasted for about 50 years




The Shattering: ~50 years ago, the rocks stopped falling about 15 years ago

Useful Lore Links:

A Tour of Norrath During the Age of Turmoil

The Athenaeum - a Lore Library
Age of Destiny Timeline

Edit: removed quite a bit of commentary and added the name of Zebuxoruk.

Great post. I can't believe I read it all. I really enjoyed it. I barely played EQ1, but this makes me wish I had played it since day 1.

However, please consider revising "The Expansions" section since I doubt the lore includes "some clowns" or "stupid Frogs".

In PoP thr guy's name is Zebuxoruk...

Points noted

Great post.

I've been with Everquest since the first expansion hit the stores (RoK), after the urging of a real life friend who had played since the begining.
The players, game and dynamics were amazing, The lore.... legendary.

Grim

Double post....

Grim
Message Edited by Grimquester on 01-21-2005 01:28 PM

In my opinion (as well as a lot of others) the game went downhill with Luclin.....cmon...a MOON? I mean yeah we see Drinal in the night sky all the time but Luclin and moon cats were just [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] plus the bazaar ruined the player economy

Great post, thanks alot for it, I really was into reading it, this makes the game so much fun, especially for people who like to role, to know the history is very fun.
Thanks alot.

Good Luck!

This post deserves a *Bump* Very good work, friend!

very good post. I'm dying for more Dwarf action though..

i also have been with EQL since RoK (on and off) and am a huge fan of in game lore. i just wanted to leave a message to say thank you for putting this all together. it really put the beginings of the EQ2 story into prespectivev.

Bravo

Very nice. I was looking for something like this.

I believe that the plane of sky was actually the plane that Veeshan inhabited at one point.

I know this because my bard was a devout worshipper, and gained enlightenment by sacrificing himself to various dragons on a regular basis.

Doh, you're right. The Plane of Sky (ruled by Veeshan, as stated in the old EQ1 intro video) was in the game, not the Plane of Air. I'll change that right away.
Message Edited by troodon311 on 03-01-2005 02:41 PM

Additional info: Mayong Mistmoore was awoken approximately 500 years before EQL by the Necromancers of Caer Sloth. He attempted to take up residence there with his brides, and exerted an uncertain amount of control over the Siloth Empire until he was forced out by Gypsies (as they were the ones that had originally entombed him approx 3 generations before). It is uncertain how he took up residence in Faydwer.

Is that from EQoA? Because I'm trying to stick to stuff from EQ1 in this... the lore tends to contradict as you include more of the other games :smileyhappy:
Message Edited by troodon311 on 03-01-2005 03:10 PM

It was a pretty major part of EQOA lore.

In my opinion, the lore between EQL and EQOA works the way myths go in the real world. The accounts we have from 500 years ago don't match what actually happened, but it is similar. And, just like in the real world, the most direct account should be trusted. This logic leads to the conclusion that the most direct (and most recent) account (that of EQOA) should be trusted more. I don't really want to get in an argument over that, but I don't see how it could contradict EQL Mistmoore lore.

Overall nicely done!! Though a few details are missing (like how ogres were once intelligent beings) Though that would have made the story quite a bit longer, it would have been cool to hear more about.. but bravo :smileyhappy: