Category Archives: Freeport Militia

Book, Faydwer, Freeport, Freeport Militia, Halfling, Karana, mobile, Rivervale

The Storm Shepherds – The Downpour

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This book is one of the Storm Shepherd series titled “The Downpour”. It is the story of how three people had come together to fight the darkness encroaching upon an enchanted land.
The three heroes, having come together at last, proceeded to detail all of the events that led them to meet that day. The halfling druid learned much about the faith of the Storm Father from Danalithenis, who called him by his old name, Karana. Throughout their discussions, something came over Gremius. As he listened to the stories of faiths gone by, he realized that what was missing from his life. Belief.

When Danalithenis was done telling his tales, Gremius stood up and drew his sword. They looked at him and saw a single teardrop fall from his eyes, falling into a stone beneath his feet. He threw his sword down and repented for everything he had done in his life, asking Karana for forgiveness. What he was especially sorry for was those worshipers he tortured and killed. At the moment he finished confessing, his sword changed into a shepherd’s crook… but one made of glowing steel, and with a pointed blade extending from the bottom of the staff.

When Danalithenis heard everything Gremius confessed, he realized that he had befriended an evil man. Even now, after all these hundreds of years, the corruption of civilization still followed him. In anger, he threw down his bow on the same stone and proclaimed that he would rather die than let the shadow of corruption taint the world any longer. At that moment, his bow changed into a small glass sphere.

Gremius recognized that sphere as the one from his dream that brought him here. As he stood up from his crouched prayers, Danalithenis could see that his blackened Freeport Militia armor was gleaming silver, like the sheen from a newly fallen rain. Tammin, the old druid, said that the time has come to pass. Now is when they would fight the darkness. She explained her full vision to the pair. When she was done, they knew they were all tied together stronger than any friends could possibly be.

Thus, the Storm Shepherds, as they called themselves, worked to push back the blight that was tainting the lands. Danalithenis used his skills as a tracker to find all of the creatures that had been afflicted, allowing Tammin to cure them – or in the case of those who were too far gone – for Gremius to put them out of their misery. As a team, they were able to prevent the ever encroaching darkness from spreading across the land

For the next several years, they would win victories against the darkness that would begin to taint the land. They soon enough realized they would not be able to do it alone, so they recruited followers. They found a small village of shipwrecked refugees living along the coast and talked with them. Many of these people, elves just like Danalithenis, joined them in their battle

The elves would tell Danalithenis of the sad fate of Faydwer and how they came to live in this enchanted isle. This would have normally crushed Danalithenis, but he now had a new cause – to fight the blight. Holding his newly crafted bow and the clear crystal sphere, he vowed that if he could not save the Greater Faydark, then he would save this enchanted forest.

In addition to the elves, the Storm Shepherds gathered a group of followers from the village of Rivervale. With everyone working so well together, it wasn’t long before the Storm Shepherds attracted the attention of those responsible for the blight. Soon enough, creatures of darkness would begin to pursue the three companions, seeking to ensure the Shepherds would not destroy all of their hard work. Many battles were fought against these fiends, and most of them were won.

As battle after battle passed, the years began carrying on. Soon enough, Tammin would succumb to one enemy she could not fight – Time. One night as she lay in her bed, too weak to stand anymore, she asked to see both Danalithenis and Gremius. She told them of one final vision the forest, screaming in agony, had given her. She patted them on the hands, told them they knew what had to be done, and closed her eyes.

On one fateful day, the followers of the Storm Shepherds found the bodies of Danalithenis and Gremius in a small clearing in the forest. Clutched in the dead elf’s hand was a black sphere that swirled with a frightening darkness. The followers would later take up the name of their leaders and keep fighting the darkness as the Storm Shepherds. To this day, they continue to protect both their enchanted lands and that mysterious black sphere.

Book, Cyclops, Freeport, Freeport Militia, Karana, mobile, Nektulos, Ogre, Ratonga

The Storm Shepherds – Gremius Hazzengrav

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This book is one of the Storm Shepherd series titled “Gremius Hazzengrav”. It is the story of a man raised on the streets of Freeport, his rise to notoriety, and his quest for atonement.
Gremius Hazzengrav was born the son of simple bandage merchant in the city of Freeport. When he was only a boy of seven years, he witnessed an exchange between his father and a member of the Freeport Militia. He watched as the militiaman insisted that his father needed to pay more protection money. When his father insisted that he didn’t have any more money, the militiaman ran a sword through him and left his corpse for the ratonga to loot.

Not having any other family, Gremius nearly starved on the streets. He was taken in by a ratonga who taught him how to pick people’s pockets as they passed by. Gremius was forced to give his guardian all of the coin he earned in exchange for a place to sleep at night. Ten years would go by with Gremius forced to steal for food, while the ratonga did nothing and became rich. The day he turned seventeen, Gremius walked into the sleeping ratonga’s room and slid a dagger into his throat. The next morning, he enlisted in the Militia.

While he was training to be a member of the city’s law enforcement, he received constant praise for his dedication to the job. The most praise would come from his drill instructor, and took Gremius under his wing. On the final training day, the soldier with the best scores would be made into an officer and the one with worst would be lowered into a pit of hungry, rabid hyenas. As the ceremony began, Gremius was made into an officer and an unfortunate ogre was chosen to feed the hyenas.

As the drill commander put all of his weight into pushing the lever that held the victim suspended over the pit, something unexpected happened. Instead of pushing the lever, he stumbled over it and clumsily fell over into the pit, just barely catching the lip with one hand. For you see, someone had greased the lever. The commander screamed for Gremius to help him up before he fell in. Officer Gremius walked over to the pit, looked down and said, “You killed my father ten years ago” — and then crushed the commander’s fingers with his foot. Gremius didn’t leave until the commander finally stopped screaming.

Gremius would become notorious throughout Freeport for his merciless enforcement of the law. If a merchant tried to bluff his way out of protection payment, Gremius would kill them. If a soldier forgot to salute the image of the Overlord whenever they passed one, Gremius would kill them. If a citizen walked within the city without proper papers, he would kill them. This would continue until the day that he tortured and killed some worshippers of a long forgotten god, Karana.

For the next several weeks, he would wake up screaming from horrible nightmares. He would dream of a wizened old man who stood in the center of a massive rainstorm. The winds would begin to tear Gremius apart until he would plead for the man to stop the rains. When the rains stopped, Gremius could see a broken crystal sphere that floated above a pool of darkness that was slowly seeping into the ground. All around him, endless trees would turn black and the darkness would spread, moving towards the ocean. Eventually, the darkness would surround him and finally eat his soul.

Gremius finally realized that the dreams were a vision. Not only did the darkness represent what he had become, but within them were a clue on how he could atone for all of his past rimes. He began searching throughout the Nektulos Forest for answers, but found nothing to give him insight on how he could “clean” the taint on his soul. Then he remembered the pirate’s stories of countless islands out within the ocean. He knew what he had to do.

Gremius began constructing a sailing vessel from the trees in the Nektulos Forest. He spent the next year trying to build a boat to take him to the island that he saw in his vision. Having left Freeport, he was now an outlaw and would be killed on sight, or else he would have just stolen a boat from the harbor. During the construction, he had much time to contemplate what he could to change his life around, but could never come about to a clear answer.

When he finally completed the boat, he sailed off into the Neriuss Flow. His plan was to sail upon the turbulent ocean, stopping at island after island, until he finally found the one in his dream. He spent many months searching island after island. On one desert isle he found to be inhabited by nothing more than numerous cyclopses, he stopped to refresh his water supplies. As he carefully looked for water, wanting not to disturb the natives, he came across an interesting sight.

A cyclops was about to kill what appeared to be a High Elf, sharing the same physical traits as many of his countless victims. Believing this to be his chance to atone for his past sins, he came up behind the cyclops and slew it before it could kill the elf. Not feeling the expected sense of absolution, Gremius looked at the elf and prepared to kill him in anger. Seeing the helpless person in front of him caused Gremius to remember the heinous actions he performed upon the worshipers in Freeport. For the first time since the day he saw his father killed, Gremius felt a long-forgotten emotion. Pity.

Age of Turmoil, Age of War, Ashen Order, Book, D'lere, Faydark, Freeport, Freeport Militia, mobile, Qeynos, Quellious, Surefall Glade, The Commonlands

The Legend of Puab Closk: The End

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The Legend of Puab Closk: The End
by Rao Lin, Tenth Keeper of Knowledge

Near the end of The Age of Turmoil, after the betrayal of the followers of Marr, at the beginning of the malicious tyranny that is the reign of the Overlord Lucan D’Lere, the Ashen Order abandoned Freeport. Freeport became a den of evil and villainy where goodly men were fed to the soldiers of an oppressive dictatorship.

D’Lere strangled out every last drop of decency and good will from those he ruled. Puab Closk would not stay to be exploited and corrupted and neither would the Ashen Order. Puab and the Order left Freeport and traveled to the one place left unscathed by The Age of Turmoil. They traveled to the Desert of Ro, to the very pillar where Puab was given the knowledge of Arcane Combat. There they setup the monastery of T,Narev.

The Order spent many years in peace training and refining Arcane Combat under the tutelage of Puab. They found many ways to expand and adapt the concepts to many different styles of fighting. The Ashen Order monks rarely used metal weapons, preferring the purity of fists and feet, but they set aside this preference and also developed many weapon styles. The Ashen Order spent nearly two hundred years in peace atop their butte. These days of peace were shattered by the unstoppable insurgence of The Age of War. The goblinoid, mindless minions burned and pillaged where they pleased, killing everyone they found.

The wicked ran blades through the hearts of the pure. The wars seemed endless, like they would rage until every living thing in Norrath was obliterated. The Ashen Order could no longer stay secluded. They left T,Narev and ran to the aide of both Freeport and Qeynos. The stories of Puab’s conversation with Quellious spoke of this time. The Order felt this was what they prepared for. They knew the might of men would be shown in the great battles to come. The Order split into two large raiding parties composed of several small groups.

One headed to Freeport and the other to Qeynos. They fought many battles on the way to besieged cities. During these battles they noticed that in small groups their power was doubled and in some cases tripled. Certain combinations of Arcane Combat Arts produced effects more powerful than anyone had ever imagined possible. They could produce the greatest of weapons.

The Ashen Order dominated all they faced with this new weapon and turned the tide of battle for each of the cities. Many monks were lost in this war, but all fought bravely for the survival of humanity. In the end with the help of the Ashen Order the sieges at both Qeynos and Freeport were ended. The heads of the Order gathered together in the burnt remains of the Surefall Glade several nights after the great battle. The stars were obscured by the smoke of the funeral pyres, Qeynos lay in near ruins.

The Faydark was believed to be lost and all around them was heavy weight of hopelessness. That night the decision was made to give the Royal Antonican Guard, who fought so bravely beside the Ashen Order, the knowledge of Arcanic Combat. It was also decided to not give this knowledge freely to the Overlord’s minions. An emissary of the Overlord Lucan D’Lere offered to give the Ashen Order a monastery in the Commonlands. The Order considered the offer with trepidation, but also believed that not all of the citizens of Freeport were evil and therefore could not reject it.

They established the monastery and used it to help those they could and also spy on the Overlord. They were betrayed by the Overlord and raided by the Freeport Militia. Every monk residing in the Commonlands monastery was taken and tortured horribly until eventually the knowledge of Arcanic Combat was squeezed from the monks.

Arcanic Combat is now the predominant form of battle used in the post-shattered Norrath. It is the weapon that Quellious and Puab Closk gave the world. Some say that Puab Closk and the Ashen Order saved humanity, that they did, but we have also unleashed the knowledge of a great power to an unenlightened world. This is the legend and legacy of Grand Master Puab Closk.

Age of Destiny, Book, Freeport, Freeport Militia, mobile, Nektulos, Seafury Buccaneers

The Freeport Citizen’s Guide to Opportunity – 2nd Edition

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Now that you are a citizen of Freeport, you will want to do your part to bring glory to the Overlord. There are many ways to gain prestige and earn coin. As you grow and learn, your efforts will reflect on our city. Journey through Norrath and know that your efforts will inspire our foes to reconsider their allegiance. Might is not only demonstrated by the sword, but by knowing what can be used to our benefit. Your citizenship is not affected if you discard this book without accepting the tasks. If you work on these tasks, you should keep this book until you finish them all.

On your journeys you may encounter items which are part of a larger series. You can collect these items as you travel, inspecting them to determine whether they are worthy of retention. You will find this hobby quite rewarding as you learn to identify different animals and their parts.

Once you have completed a collection, you should present them to Renny Parvat in East Freeport. He will offer rewards for your completed collections. And should you complete an entire series of collectable items, you may receive something special for your home as well. Go, then, and investigate the wilds to find the rewards beneath your feet.

Freeport’s history is filled with the greatest explorers of all times. Now that you belong to the Overlord, your finds will add to his glory throughout Norrath. You may have already identified key features throughout the city, such as the Fountain of the Fallen Soldier in the Scale Yard. You are strongly urged to take this moment to look upon the Execution Plaza in West Freeport. Go, now.

As you explore lands new to you, remember that you represent Freeport and the Overlord. He will not be well-served if you are unable to put the glory of our city before your own insignificant life. Therefore, go without fear through the lands. Should you see something interesting, investigate it more closely that you may learn more about it for your sake.

The Overlord is proud of the high literacy rate among Freeport’s citizens and he strongly encourages those who do not read to learn immediately. To this end, he has graciously allowed Sage Navarius Orvalis to set up shop in North Freeport, even though many of the tomes he sells are incomplete. Despite their lack of pages, Sage Orvalis’s tomes are fascinating.

By purchasing a tome such as “Bird Watching: The Do’s and Don’ts of Nektulos Forest,” you will explore Norrath and gain new insight into its creatures, history and the folk who inhabit our world. You can also gain new skills by completing any of the Mastery tomes available. Indeed, you are very strongly urged by the Overlord to take advantage of the Sage’s stock and to also read any tomes you find while in the wilds.

An active mind is an active soldier for Freeport. While you are going about your work for the glory of the Overlord, you must always carefully observe your surroundings. Is anything out of place? Is there an unusual object jutting up through the ground? Investigate these things, for they may provide clues to activities with which you will want to concern yourself.

Many unusual items you will find in your travels hold the keys to mysteries in which the Overlord is interested. It would behoove you to find these items and complete any task necessary to determine their exact nature. This way, if the Overlord should summon you into his Presence Chamber, you will be able to explain exactly what you know and how you came to learn these things.

One of the hallmarks of a citizen of Freeport is his willingness to take on tasks to further the reputation of the Overlord. Freeport has long been a center of commerce throughout Norrath. Look to assist the Far Seas Trading Company’s taskmasters where you find them. Strengthening our ties to commerce strengthens our economy as a whole.

Throughout Norrath’s history, there are certain items which seem to offer their owners greater protections or abilities. The Overlord is interested in these items and therefore, so must you be. Use your keen observation skills to identify those items, such as the greater lightstones. Learn how to obtain these things and you will please the Overlord.

The Overlord requires that all citizens be of some use to the city by advancing their training in their current adventuring profession. We will not have deadbeats and mendicants within the walls of Freeport. Get familiar with organizations that have a local presence. The Seafury Buccaneers are in South Freeport. You will find both high-ranking representatives of the Freeport Militia and the Coalition of Tradesfolke in West Freeport. The Dismal Rage can be found in North Freeport.

This book is only a guide to what you will be expected to look for and achieve on the Overlord’s behalf. Do not waste your time by lazing about. The Age of Destiny is upon us and only those who act quickly will reap the benefits that the world offers.

Academy of Arcane Science, Book, Freeport, Freeport Militia, mobile, Teir'Dal, The Broken

The Case of the Curious Coalition Housing Inspector

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The Case of the Curious Coalition Housing Inspector

While walking through Longshadow Alley in Freeport, I encountered a very curious Coalition Housing Inspector. It is rather odd to encounter a housing inspector in any of Freeport;s foreign housing districts. The Overlord’s government does not attend to the upkeep of most of these districts, that is quite obvious by the appearance of any of these neighborhoods. So I find it odd to meet Inspector Rylana struggling to answer my questions about her business in Longshadow Alley. I do not trust her words. Perhaps I should follow her and see what she is really up to.

I followed Inspector Rylana to a broken down house in Longshadow Alley. True, there are many broken down houses in this district, but in this particular rubble filled dwelling, the inspector found something that interested her. I went to take a look at what might interest the Coalition Housing Inspection and found a bedroll. This bedroll was quite elaborate, not the bedding of the common folk of this neighborhood. The patchwork blanket appeared to be formed of silk and scales. Such an odd pairing of fabric and hide is usually reserved for the eccentric citizens of Freeport.

Inspector Rylana’s curious trek through Longshadow Alley did not end in the broken down dwelling where I found the odd bedding. I shadowed the inspector to a boarded up house. It was obvious this home was condemned, but with so many condemned houses, why should an inspector stop at one and ignore the rest? I crept towards the boarded up door to have a look at what interested the inspector. Resting upon the ground was one of the planks of wood that used to board up the door. There were curious runes on the board, magic script. I am no supreme scholar of the Academy of Arcane Science, but I do believe this was some form of coded communique.

The Coalition Housing Inspector strolled down to the malodorous docks of Longshadow Alley. Why would a housing inspector bother with the port? Certainly, they do not consider the pier to be a dwelling, even though it acts as one to the many homeless Teir’Dal immigrants. No, she came here for other reasons. She glanced over a tattered parchment that was tossed upon the dock. I took a look for myself and found that it was a forgotten shipping manifest. It belonged to a ship called the ‘Nerius Breaker.’ It made an unannounced stop in Longshadow Alley to receive some kegs of elixir from the local magic shop. The ship has long since raised anchor.

It seemed as though Inspector Rylana had to make a withdrawal from the local bank, for that is where she next led me to. After observing her from afar, I noticed that the withdrawal she had to make was not in Freeport currency, but rather, in clues. Being a bit of a sleuth myself, I took a look at what she spent her time inspecting. There was an ornate cashbox in the bank hall. It looks as though the clerks had been busy unloading whatever was inside. Someone had made a large deposit and it was not a local resident by the looks of the craftsmanship of the cashbox. Whoever dropped this off was either very rich or in some very big debt.

I thought I might shadow Inspector Rylana a bit more, as she has the starring role in my current investigation notes. As before, my actions were rewarded. The inspector stopped off in the local blacksmith’s shop. She had a few harsh words for the smithies as she pointed to an object in the rear of the shop. I went to take a look at what could raise the fury of a housing inspector. What I found was an ornate dagger. The blade was lined with magic runes and if my memory serves me well, the symbol on the handle was none other than the symbol of the Academy of Arcane Science. Such a grand item is not intended for battle, but rather, the wall of a sorcerer supreme.

Inspector Rylana continued her so called inspection of the Longshadow Alley. I was not surprised to see her next stop led me not to a housing complex, but rather to The Bauble, the local magic shop. She entered the arcane depository requesting to see export logs. Her reasons for doing so seemed to persuade the scribe, but I am sure his words are filled with lies. I took a look at the logs as well and found that the shop had exported a large crate with a rust monster inside to a ship called the “Nerius Breaker.” This was the ship I read about at the docks, but it was supposed to be picking up kegs of elixir, not a rust monster.

I had some doubts about Inspector Rylana of the Coalition Housing Inspection and it seems that my doubts were reinforced by the evidence of my investigation. It is my belief that the inspector is a government servant, but not one bound to the Coalition of Tradesfolke. I believe she is a special agent of the Freeport Militia or the Overlord! She seemed to be undercover and on the trail of a fugitive. This fugitive must hail from the Academy of Arcane Science’s arch mages. That mage must have also paid a high price to escape Freeport under the watch of the Freeport Militia. But my investigation is complete. Inspector Rylana is no housing inspector. Case closed.

Avatar of War, Blackburrow, Book, Crushbone, Deathfist, Desert of Ro, Everfrost, Freeport, Freeport Militia, Gnoll, Halas, Innothule, mobile, Qeynos, Ro

Rise of the Orcs – The Rejoining

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“Rise of the Orcs – The Rejoining”
Second Edition

This book details how the orcs would organize into armies the likes of which had not been seen on Norrath for millennia.

The following historical account details what stories would describe as the main turning point in the rise of the orcs. No longer primal savages, the orcs would organize into armies the like that hadn’t been seen on Norrath for millenia. Several accounts of thus time period still exist in varying forms, which have been condensed together within this volume.

The Deathfist: Having defeated the Freeport Militia on several occassions, the Deathfist orcs would cause the city’s armies to rethink their strategies. During this time, the Emperor of the Deathfist orcs would be visited by a being of immense power. This visitor would cause the Deathfist to send out a call to all of the minor tribes that made up the entire empire.

The Snow Orcs: Efficiently using many ancient artifacts acquired from the Dragon Vox, the Snow Orcs would begin to push back against the barbarians. Eventually laying siege to Halas, they would signal the death-knell for the rugged barbarians. The Snow Orcs would immediately change direction, however, after meeting with a strange visitor. Leaving Halas behind, they began marching to the south with a determined pace.

The Crushbone: Not much is known about the Crushbone orcs during this time period. Having taken part in a great war that ravaged the continent of Faydwyr, these orcs would fade into obscurity. All that is known is that a small group of Crushbones would sail across the ocean on great ships they built, intent on joining up with the Deathfist on the main continent. They claim their motivation for doing so would be due to a directive given to them by a mysterious visitor.

Snow Orcs: Marching through the frozen tundra of Everfrost Peaks, the Snow Orcs would gather every tribe along their way, eventually forming into a great army. They would continue this march, annihilating everything in their path. Rather than raiding and capturing small villages along their way, they would simply kill everyone and raze the buildings to the ground. This march would eventually end when they reached the homeland of the gnolls, Blackburrow.

Having evidenced the wanton slaughter they had caused on their way to the gnolls home, one would expect the orcs to have done the same to the dog-men. Instead, however, the gnolls were waiting for them and invited the orcs inside their den. No battle took place that day, and the orcs passed into the winding caves without harm. Making camp at sites prepared for them, it become evident the orcs and the gnolls were working together.

The residents of the nearby Qeynos received word of the plight of Halas and would send forces to help the barbarians. None of their forces could reach the frozen tundra due to pact between the gnolls and the orcs, however. All that would be learned during this time was the orcs now residing within Blackburrow were no longer guests, but instead dominators. By now, the Snow Orcs of Blackburrow had enslaved every last gnoll and were using them to mine or for their war efforts.

Deathfist Orcs: Not long after their visit by the mysterious stranger, Emperor Gash would begin to mobilize every member of his tribe into a great army. Spanning from the southern Rujarkian orcs to the western Kithicorian orcs of the Deathfist Empire, they all were given orders to arm themselves and collapse their nomadic camps. The stranger’s message was then delivered to every orcish soldier – War.

Amassing their mighty armies within the Desert of Ro, their ancestral homeland, the orcs began to march south. Just like the Snow Orcs, they would decimate anyone and everything within their path. From gypsies to desert madmen, there was nothing left alive in the Desert of Ro after they had crossed it’s endless dunes. They would continue their march until they finally reached the southernmost Innothule swamp. This was where their forces were joined to an even larger army.

The Second Rallosian Empire, comprised of ogres who regained their long-lost intelligence, welcomed the orcs into their ranks. Joining together into one great army, the Deathfist orcs watched as their Emperor bowed one knee and swore fealty to the leader of this titanic army – The Avatar of War. When the Avatar stated that the Deathfist armies were larger than he had expected, Emperor Gash smiled enigmatically and told him, “If this is the case, then we have already won, your Divineness.”

Barbarian, Book, Crushbone, Deathfist, Dwarven, Elven, Everfrost, Felwithe, Freeport, Freeport Militia, Kaladim, Kelethin, mobile, Orc

Rise of the Orcs – The Rousing

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“Rise of the Orcs – The Rousing”
Second Edition

This book highlights the turning point when the orcs would start to become a force to be reckoned with.

The following historical account details what some stories describe as the “return” of the orcs. Once primal savages, the orcs would become frightening masters of tactics and strategy not seen on Norrath for nearly thousand years. The following facts have been taken from many different sources ranging from fragments of parchment to tales told by elderly elves.

The Deathfist Orcs: By the Age of Turmoil, the Deathfist orcs would become a formidable threat to the city of Freeport. Having grown in size, the Deathfist orcs would absorb all of the surrounding tribes, making them the largest tribe on Norrath. Their numbers would prompt the Overlord of Freeport to send his armies against these savages from time to time in an attempt to keep them from destroying all commerce. This would change one day, however.

When one of the Freeport Militia raiding parties failed to return one day, several search parties were sent after them. When none of them returned either, one third of the Militia was sent to find the cause of their disappearance. Of the twelve hundred soldiers that left to search for the patrols, only seventeen would return to describe what happened to the legion. Their tale would change the way people viewed the orcs the world over.

As the legion reached the last known site of the troops, they spotted several orcs fleeing into a narrow ravine. Following them into the ravine, they spotted the mangled bodies of their fallen comrades. At that same moment, a wave of boulders fell from the surrounding cliffs, closing off their escape. That was when the hundreds of enraged, trained elephants were let loose by the Deathfist orcs. At full speed, they began to stampede through the ravine… straight for the doomed Militia.

The Snow Orcs: During this time, the Snow Orc’s numbers would be reduced drastically. Having been driven to the eastern half of Everfrost Peaks, the Snow Orcs were wedged between the lair of a mighty dragon on one side and the ever-expanding mammoth-tusk trade on the other. Were it not for a change in the way they used their weapons, the snow orcs would count this time period as their last on Norrath.

The shamans of the Snow Orc tribes would at times raise the bodies of the fallen, friend or foe alike. These icy boned skeletons would then be sent loose to wander the frozen wastelands, attacking anything it would find. The Snow Orcs hoped that the skeletons would one day find a barbarian or adventurer and kill them. By some unknown means, the Snow Orcs would change tactics and start using their undead minions with surprising efficiency.

Cleverly hiding their actions from everyone, the orcs would begin to bury many lines of skeletons beneath the snow outside the entrance to the great dragon’s lair. As great heroes would come running out of her lair holding some stolen artifact, a group of orc shamans would be waiting. At the precise moment, all of the shamans would raise the skeletons to life, trapping the raiding party inside a circle of hundreds of skeletons. It wouldn’t take long for the undead to overwhelm the heroes. The Snow orcs would then take the artifacts from the dead adventurers, flay the flesh from their bones, and add them to their army of undead.

The Crushbone Orcs : No one knows for sure where they acquired them, but by this time in history the Crushbone orcs would be seen carrying weapons of dark elf make. Rumors tell of a dark elf ambassador being seen in the highest tower of the orc’s castle, so it can only be assumed the orcs had brokered a deal with their people. Considering the less than philanthropic nature of the dark elves, it is still a mystery as to what the orcs were providing in return.

The Crushbone orcs would claim a stunning victory against the elves of Kelethin one fateful day. Amassing their highly trained armies, they launched an attack against both the dwarven city of Kaladim and the high elven city of Felwithe. The residents of the tree city of Kelethin split their forces to help defend their allies’ cities and were able to stop the orcish legionnaires with only minimal causalities.

Little did they know, the true target of the orcish assault was the city of Kelethin. Attacking with their real army, the Crushbone orcs would succeed at chopping down two of the ancient trees supporting the wood elf city. By the time the wood elves would return home and put a stop to the orcs, half of Kelethin would be destroyed.

Ashen Order, Avatar of War, Book, Deathfist, Freeport, Freeport Militia, Green Mist, Knights of Thunder, Knights of Truth, mobile, Orc, The Commonlands, The Rending

Rise of the Orcs – The Fall

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“Rise of the Orcs – The Fall”
Second Edition

This book details how the orcs would nearly succeed at toppling the two most powerful cities on Norrath.

The following historical account details the orc’s involvement during the short, yet devastating, War of Defiance. Simultaneously laying siege to the two largest cities on Norrath, the orcs would come close to achieving greatness, only to be crushed in the final moments. Several accounts of this time period still exist in varying forms, which have been condensed together within this volume.

Snow Orcs: Numbering only in the hundreds, the Snow Orcs would have their numbers reinforced by the Avatar of Flame’s hidden army. Coming from the Plains of Karana, hundreds of goblins and giants would join their ranks to do battle with combined forces of the humans. The resulting clash between forces would echo halfway across the world.

For eight days, the battle would rage. Giants would smash the Qeynosian Guard, druids would kill orcs, but neither side was winning. Ultimately, the Qeynosians would make a valiant charge that would end the war. The Knights of Thunder would land a killing blow against the Orcish horde by severing the head from the Avatar of Flame’s shoulders.

Losing the guidance from their divine leader, the giants, goblins, and orcs would finally to fall to the Qeynosians. Not having enough troops to hunt down the stragglers, the fallen army would scatter to the four winds. The few remaining Snow Orcs would be routed back through Blackburrow, and that is where history would last see these people. It is not known how many Snow Orcs survived the journey through their former slaves’ den, but it is known that orc bones would be seen in the gnoll’s rubbish pits for months to come.

Deathfist Orcs: The siege of Freeport would not bode well for the Militia. Not expecting the combined might of the orcs and the ogres, the Militia did all they could just to keep the walls standing. Soon enough, the humans would realize that the orcish and orgrish armies were doing nothing more than taunting them. When it was noticeable in the faces of every one of the guards that all hope was lost, something unexpected happened. A greenish mist began covering the land for as far as the eye could see. Filling the lungs of everyone, it seemed nothing more than an odd weather phenomenon. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The orcs would look in horror as they watched as all of the ogres began to cough up clouds of green colored mist from their lungs. These spasms would become more and more violent until the ogres would collapse dead from asphyxiation. Looking all around them, the Deathfist army would see every last one of their Rallosian brethren lying dead on the battlefield, with nary a scratch on them. To make matters worse for the orcs, the battle would be joined by two other armies, intent on finishing what the green mist had started.

Though their numbers were unimaginable, the Deathfists were not able to withstand an army on three fronts – The Freeport Militia on one side, the Ashen Order on another, and the Knights of Truth on the last. The orcs would not go down without a fight, however. It would take the death of the Avatar of War before the Deathfist would be routed. With their numbers reduced to the mere hundreds, the Deathfist orcs fled past the Ashen Order monks towards the Desert of Ro, where they were never seen again.

The orcs would neither be heard nor seen for the next several decades. Aside from isolated clans that remained out of the War of Defiance, Norrath believed the threat was forever gone. With the coming of the Rending and later the Shattering, the endless hordes of the orcs would begin to become nothing more than stories again. This would prove to be folly once again.

The re-emergence of the orcs would first be seen in the Commonlands. A clan calling themselves the Bloodskulls would begin to become a new threat to Freeport. Using siege engines, Freeport has managed to keep these orcs at bay, but they must remain ever vigilant. Coupled with this clan that emerged overnight, those foolish enough to ply their trade on the sea lanes claim to have seen great armadas of ships roaming the water. Those that have survived these encounters claim that the people crewing these ships are not just people, but rather, orcs.

Some unfounded reports claim that that the Deathfist Empire had managed to survive their defeat during the War of Defiance. These stories claim that the phantom armadas exist and it’s nothing more than the naval branch of the Deathfist Empire. Even wilder stories claim there is a land filled with these orcs, and not only have they rebuilt their Empire, they’re preparing for another attack on Norrath. Fortunately, these stories have no proof to validate these foolish claims.

Antonica, Desert of Ro, Elddar Forest, Everquest Lore, Freeport, Freeport Militia, Innothule, mobile, Official Website, Orc, Ortallius, Rathamana Allin, Solusek Ro, The Commonlands, The Oasis, Timorous Deep, Tunaria

Into the Depths of: The Desert of Ro

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Overview of the Desert of Ro

The Desert of Ro is a vast and deadly desert that is surrounded by the city of Freeport, Innothule Swamp, the Commonlands, and the Timorous Deep Ocean. A variety of creatures inhabit the desert and the oasis within making it a thrilling place for travelers to adventure.

Background Lore

Northern Ro

The Northern Desert of Ro is a vast and deadly desert that lies just beyond the eastern gates of Freeport. Several inns and a few of Lucan’s militia can be found with the last, desperate reaches of temperate vegetation carpeting the flat of land just before the rise of the desert dunes. A tunnel carved into the steep ridge bordering the desert to the west, connects the desert to the Commonlands.

To the south, one will meet the sands of the Oasis of Marr, which separates the northern and southern reaches of the Ro desert. Legends speak that what is now the northern Desert of Ro was once the northern reaches of the ancient Elddar forest – the former home of the elves who had once resided upon Antonica, then called Tunaria. This forest was said to have been the most beautiful woodland Norrath has ever seen Spanning the whole of what is now the desert of Ro and Oasis of Marr, this forest is said to have been burned to the ground by the fiery wrath of Solusek Ro.

The northern desert is host to a great variety of inhabitants, range from rattlesnakes and giant tarantulas, to the dread cutthroat pirates of the desert. It is also rumored that the unfortunate citizens of Freeport who are infected with a plague of the mind are cast out into these desert lands to die. However, many of these desert madmen have survived the harsh, unforgiving desert heat and have grown all the more crazed from it.

Southern Ro

The southern-most section of the deadly Desert of Ro borders the Innothule Swamp and the Oasis of Marr. In addition to scattered cutthroat camps, several types of dangerous creatures roam the vast rolling dunes of the desert, including the undead.

Between the dry sands of the desert and the swamp are wet marshlands. These marshlands are the home of several small encampments of orcs related to the tribe found in the Commonlands. Also within the firs reaches of the marshlands is an abandoned druid ring. Druids can use this to travel quickly to the surrounding areas.

Located halfway between the giant stone mesas to the north and the start of the wetlands in the south, is a dark elf gypsy encampment. People who are on friendly teams with the dark elves may be able to find assistance and supplies here, although those who are not in league with the Teir’Dal will quickly find themselves at the merciless wrath of these hateful women.

Ortallius and Rathamana Allin

Tucked within a rocky cove carved into the steep ridge surrounding the eastern border of the desert is a small encampment guarded by Ortallius, a very stoic orc warrior of unrivaled skill. This camp is an ideal place for all adventures to come and sell their wares, as well as purchase supplies. An Erudite wizard, Rathamana Allin resides within the single tent, the wizard is rumored to be a wise and formidable man; his purpose and intent with the southern desert remain a mystery to all but himself and perhaps his orc bodyguard Rathamana raised in the great schools of magic in Erudin. In his youth, he secretly studied the art of necromancy and eventually happened upon others who practiced the art of darkness. These magic users, or rather, necromancers, are called heretics. He learned their ways, but before he completely converted to their dark ways, he attempted to flee their circle. They caught him and through arcane means transported him to this desert. Rathamana would tell you that he would have died if it were not for a vision of Solusek Ro. In his story, he states that Solusek appeared to him and created a hole in Norrath. It was from this hole he drank and lived. Since then he calls the desert of Ro home and lives his humble life in the name of the Burning Prince, Solusek Ro.

Source: http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=50993

Age of Turmoil, Antonia Bayle, EverQuest 2 Lore, Freeport, Freeport Asylum, Freeport Infirmary and Asylum, Freeport Militia, Knights of Truth, Lucan D`lere, Official Developer, Surgeons of Solace

The Freeport Infirmary and Lunacy Asylum

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Reference: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?start=0&topic_id=187034&#2063498

Antonia may be displaying powers closely tied to items she carries. Don’t be too swift to bind her class down. We all remember Sir Lucan from the Age of Turmoil, don’t we? The Knights of Truth were glad to see his powers removed as his fall from grace began, but he has new powers now. The origin of these new powers have yet to be revealed and they help define his class and even his current biological classification.

I see someone mentioned an asylum. Does anyone know that Freeport does have an asylum? It cannot be found in game, but it is part of the background of the city. It is a shame it could not make it into the game.

The Freeport Infirmary and Lunacy Asylum

This sprawling compound takes up nearly an entire district. It is divided into two sections meant to treat two different types of ailments. The infirmary section treats many types of physical ailments, often through unconventional practices. The asylum is where the crazed and incurable patients are dragged and locked away in little grimy rooms with little or no comfort. The mental patients often undergo agonizing treatments. The treatments usually release the patient to the death of the gray fields rather than the streets of Freeport. Secretly, this is place of horror and pain created for biological research and the harvesting of resources for mostly necromantic purposes. This is the domain of the Surgeons of Solace, a caste of healers, scholars and secret assassins. They test and operate on those patients who come to them for physical or mental solace. The asylum is where most of the horror takes place. This section is kept locked at all times. It is nearly impossible to get into the asylum unless admitted. It is common for the Freeport Militia to send some of its most rebellious prisoners to this hospital, ailment or not.