Category Archives: Shattered Lands

Book, Freeport, Karan, mobile, Shattered Lands

The Pirate Queen and the Map

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This book is titled “The Pirate Queen and the Map”. It is the first book in the five part series starring the Pirate Queen as the hero.
As the bow of the ship sliced through the waves, there was no mistaking the markings on the sails. Known throughout the Shattered Lands for being a terror on the high seas, this vessel was none other than the Painted Harpy. Though notorious from Karan to D’Lere, there was only one thing more feared than this ship, and that was her captain – The Pirate Queen Alta.

Never a more daring woman, Alta was as dangerous as she was beautiful. She crewed her ship with the most dastardly men to ever walk the deck and always paid them a fair share of the plunder. But the one treasure they wanted was always off limits. For if ever a pirate were to approach her with less than honest intentions (and that’s saying much for a pirate), the Pirate Queen would show them what happened to those unfortunate men.

Hanging from the main sails of the ship were the withered corpses of all the pirates who tried to woo the Queen. Challenging the swarthy pirate to a duel, the Pirate Queen would see to it that her opponent was not only defeated, but was humiliated before they died. Then, to keep the warning fresh in the crew’s minds, their bodies would rot from the beams of the ship.

For you see, no matter how much gold would be plundered from other vessels that dared to brave the turbulent ocean, there was only room for one thing within the heart of this nefarious pirate. For many years, she sailed the world in search of the one thing the she desired more than gold and silver – the Rubicite Heart.

The Rubicite Heart was a gem larger than anything Norrath had ever seen before. Having first heard the tale at a tavern on the docks of Freeport many years prior, she would dismiss it as being another story told over a pint of ale. Thinking nothing of it, she continued making a living boarding other ships and taking her share of ill-gotten gains.

Not until she would plunder and scuttle a merchant ship bound for a small island outpost known as the Far Seas Trade Isle would she again hear about the Rubicite Heart. Not finding anything of value on the ship she proceeded to keelhaul the ship’s captain, careful not to kill him, until he eventually confessed to the true treasure stowed away on the vessel.

The only thing him and his crew were bringing back to their headquarters was a book and a map. She ordered the crew of the ship to all walk the plank, then set fire to the schooner. Ordering her helmsman to keep sailing until they found another merchant vessel, she locked herself away within her cabin and began perusing the book.

Reading the book, she learned that it was the journal of an adventurer that lived long ago. This nameless fortune-hunter would travel far and wide looking for all manner of treasures. Though he managed to find quite a number of priceless artifacts, the only one that managed to elude him was a gem worth all of relics combined – the Rubicite Heart.

She continued to read about how he had found it in a forgotten temple deep within a dark jungle. Recording his journey, he described in detail how he overcame numerous traps and eluded the guards of this ruin. By the time she was done, Alta was convinced this gem was not only real, but it would be her ticket to retiring from her pirating ways.

Just as she closed the cover of the book, a great swell overtook the ship, rocking it violently. Not only was she knocked down, but the book flew across her desk, knocking over the lamp she used for light. The spilled lamp catching the map on fire, she was unable to put it out before it was burned to a crisp. Sadly, her one opportunity to find this priceless treasure had gone up in smoke before her very eyes.

Book, Deepwater Knights, mobile, Shattered Lands, The Sentinel

Seeress Ealaynya Ithis’s Prophecies: Book One

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Seeress Ealaynya Ithis’s Prophecies
Book One

That which is to come and that which must be stopped!

I, Ealaynya Ithis, Seeress, Shepherd and prophet to the most selfless of the supreme deities, Rodcet Nife, have experienced the following visions. I share them with you now so that they may help light your way through dark times.

Nothing has found that which was lost. The banished slayer returns!
A paw most trusted becomes the claw of attack.

Death falls upon the city of free men in the Shattered Lands.
The five seen and five unseen rally when the hands are taken.
The sister’s daughter grips destiny. The dead foe is to be freed!

The expanse pulled by nothing and rooted in stone must be traversed.
Destruction welcomes those that journey to the city of pain.
Deceptions envelop the well meaning as the hands of the sentinel are sought by the woken one.

Mortal and god, they will all be his pawn!
The contested lady is called forth by the shame of the Deepwater Knights.
If the magics of mythical prestige are ripped from their shells the end of times will be ushered in!

~Seeress Ealaynya Ithis

Antonica, Book, Elddar, Felwithe, Innoruuk, Koada'Dal, mobile, Plane of Growth, Shattered Lands, Tunare

A Recent History of the Tunarians

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The past 500 years have been that of turmoil. Our people, the Koada’Dal, have had to endure atrocities that we would not even wish upon our enemies.
Beginning with the fall of Felwithe and the murder of King Thex, the inhabitants of the city were forced to flee into the mountains to survive. The casualties from the war were great, and the number of paladins were low. A plan was to be formed, the home that Tunare gave to her people was to be retaken.

In the mountains above the city the remaining paladins, priests and mages gathered. They were to all at once draw upon the divine power of Tunare and expel the forces of Innoruuk that had seized control of the city.

The siege of the city caused great destruction, even the mountain canyon that the city had been built in had taken damage. Besides the remaining Koada’Dal there were no living things left in the canyon. The agents of Innoruuk had during the final battle burned the trees, the grass and all of the other vegetation. Even the great tree was on the verge of death.

From the mountains came a wary ally. The Myntr, a tribe of satyr from the plane of Growth came to tend to the tree. It was sacred to them, and to their Mother Tunare. They were unwilling at first to assist the Koada’Dal in rebuilding the city, and for a while left to the mountains above. They left with the tree the tenders. Beings of nature that would take care of the great tree.

During the excavation and rebuilding of the city, historians found books that read of a time ages past. Where the elves lived in the Elddar Forest, and closer to Tunare. The whole of what was Antonica and now the shattered lands used to be under the control and influence of the elves.

These elves were different than the elves that the Koada’Dal saw in their own race. They then noticed how the wood elf and half elf had become perversions of Tunare’s perfect elf. They looked upon their darker kin knowing their creation was a work of Innoruuk, they were no longer able to acknowledge that they had once been elf. These historians convinced the council that there should be a purification, and a recreation of the perfect elf.

It was decided that to become a new race of perfect Elf, they must leave behind their old names, and take upon a new name that would represent their devotion to Tunare, during her absence. The name decided upon was the Renda’Dal, or more commonly the New Tunarians. Family trees were created for the elves that could trace back their history, and those with the most pure blood were selected to bring about more pure blood elves.

Age of Cataclysms, Antonia Bayle, Antonius Bayle I, Antonius Bayle IV, EverQuest 2 Lore, Felwithe, Freeport, Lady Shae, Lucan D`lere, Luclin, Ocean of Tears, Official Developer, Qeynos, Shattered Lands, Shirrana, Sisters of Erollisi, The Circle of Five, The Shattering

Moorgard interviews Antonia

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Reference: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=186531

Moorgard: First off, I’m at a bit of a loss as to how I should address you. Do you have the title of queen? Should I refer to you as “your highness”?

Antonia: Actually, Antonia is my title. It was decreed by Antonius Bayle the First that no ruler of Qeynos should ever be called king. As a result, the name Antonius became the title taken by every descendent of that bloodline who wore the crown. Being a woman, I took the liberty of altering the title slightly.

Moorgard: Your ascension to the throne of Qeynos was a bit unusual. Is it true that you were not even born in the city?

Antonia: That is correct. I was born on an island in the Ocean of Tears and raised by the Sisters of Erollisi, an order of female warriors. I arrived in Qeynos about a decade ago.

Moorgard: What happened to the Bayle family over the years?

Antonia: As you know, the last five centuries have been extremely difficult for the people of Norrath. There was a devastating loss of life due to war and cataclysms, and that loss touched the house of Bayle as well. Many of my ancestors died in battle or due to disaster, yet the family line continued. But the greatest blow came just after the Shattering destroyed the moon of Luclin. During a ceremony at sea to bury the honored dead, the royal barge was destroyed by a terrible meteor shower. There were no survivors. Most assumed that the Bayle line had been obliterated.

Moorgard: How do you fit into the Bayle lineage?

Antonia: I am a descendent of Antonius Bayle IV. He fell in love with a high elf named Lady Shae, and she bore a child. Lady Shae did not want to raise her child within the city of Qeynos and she knew the elves in Felwithe would look down upon her for loving a human, so she went to live with the Sisters of Erollisi. Antonius Bayle IV understood her choice, and gave her a handwritten scroll that acknowledged the child’s paternity. When the Age of Cataclysms began and the ocean became too turbulent to cross, the island was isolated. Though Lady Shae herself perished, her family lived on, and eventually I was born. As a child I had no idea of my heritage, but the Sisters had sworn to Lady Shae that they would keep the scroll safe and pass it down to her descendents.

Moorgard: How did you come to Qeynos?

Antonia: When the cataclysms finally subsided and the seas began to calm, a ship of humans arrived on our island. Among the things they told us about the last several centuries was that the Bayle family had been wiped out.The Sisters were startled to learn this and decided to reveal the truth of my lineage to me. The ship’s captain agreed to take us to Qeynos, and four of the Sisters vowed to travel with me and act as my personal guard.

Moorgard: What was going on in Qeynos at the time, and what was the reaction to your arrival?

Antonia: Following the destruction of the royal barge, the city was ruled by a council called the Circle of Five. When I arrived in Qeynos, I was brought before the council and they verified that the scrolls explaining my

lineage were genuine. I was little more than a girl at the time, so they thought it best that I receive some training in what it meant to be a leader. When I was finally presented to the people of Qeynos, I must say that I was very touched and honored that they embraced me as a true Bayle. Seven years ago I took the throne and assumed the title of Antonia Bayle. Since then I have worked closely with the Circle of Five, who remain invaluable to me in my efforts to be a fair leader.

Moorgard: If you don’t mind my asking, what is your given name?

Antonia: I was named Shirrana, though everyone now calls me Antonia.

Moorgard: One of your ancestors was a high elf, yet you certainly look human.

Antonia: Aside from Lady Shae, the majority of my bloodline is indeed human. That is what I consider myself to be, though I hope that I have inherited at least some of the grace and wisdom of the elven people.

Moorgard: If you’ll forgive yet another personal question, what

is your marital status?

Antonia: I am unwed. The council thinks it wise that I choose a husband and produce an heir so that the Bayle family line may continue. I agree that this is a duty I have to my people, so it is a matter I shall investigate

in the near future.

Moorgard: That’s excellent news. How do you feel about monks?

Antonia: They make excellent servants. Besides, don’t you have some sort of vow of celibacy?

Moorgard: Okay, I can take a hint. Getting back on track, how are relations between Qeynos and Freeport these days?

Antonia: Rocky, but tolerable. I don’t trust Lucan D’Lere one bit, but so far he is abiding by our treaty to take in refugees from the Shattered Lands. There is currently an uneasy peace between our cities.

Moorgard: I chatted with the Overlord recently. He paints himself as Norrath’s last, best hope for prosperity.

Antonia: Ridiculous! If Lucan has his way, he will enslave the world and use it to feed his insatiable greed and massive ego. He cares nothing for anyone’s welfare but his own. The only reason he accepts refugees into Freeport is to expand his empire. He even had the audacity to demand first pick of all refugees so that he could keep the strong and send the sick and injured to Qeynos. I refused, and he finally agreed to let the refugees choose their own fate. Do not be fooled by his attempts to rewrite history or taken in by his false air of benevolence.

Moorgard: What goals do you have for your reign?

Antonia: I wish for the citizens of Qeynos to work together to rebuild our lands and return to the prosperity of the past. It is my firm belief that we can only achieve this goal through fellowship and unity. Though Lucan

and the forces of darkness may oppose us, he cannot stand in our way. Tyrants inevitably fall, even those with unnaturally long life spans.

Moorgard: Those are some pretty harsh words for your rival.

Antonia: I do not fear Lucan, nor am I afraid of conflict. But I will honor the treaty we have made. If it is ever to be broken, it will be his twisted hand that does it. Until that day, we will be watching his actions closely.

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The Wheel of Time

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The fear he had borne those many, many long year, since the end of the Age of Combine, had come to pass: The disapperance of the gods, Yes, for hundreds of years now that had been known as the Lost Age, and of course that name was given by those who knew little to nothing of events during that time.

Of course, few – perhaps none – had lived a life as long and eventfu as this ancient elf called Aataltaal. Now, it seems, he’d outlasted even the gods.

The elf looked up into the bright night sky and watched Luclin’s continuing disintergration. A flaming meteor, no doubt a portion of the sphere of the Maiden of Shadows, soared fast and low just to the south of him. Lightning traced the rock’s path through the swirling clouds, and Aataltaal was certain he felt the wind and heat generated by the meteor.

The destruction of Luclin, named for the goddess who was for countless years beyond the reach of mortals, was a metaphor for the fate of all created races… as well as for the gods themselves. Even if they were not dead, the gods who birthed the races of Norrath and had guided the events of millennia, including the seemingly wanton destruction of all they had so assiduously crafted, were beyond any mortal’s reach. The immortals might as well be dead for all they could do on behalf of those who relied upon them, those who worshipped them. Likewise, there was little to be done by one such as Aataltaal, who sough to slay gods, or at least some – partculary one! – among their number.

As he sat on the Luclin-blasted landscape of the Thundering Steppes, with no other living entity around for league upon league, Aataltaal gave himself over wholly to these reflections. And soon his vision returned.

In the long past age of Combine, Aataltaal had foreseen the fall of that great empire. He tried toward emperor katta, but neither of them understood the meaning of the vision fully enough. Of course, Aataltaal considered that failure to be his own: It was his magic that had crafted the visions, his knowledge that should have deciphered them, and even his plans that had set the fracturing of the Combine into motion. Granted, the plans of those against whom he toiled, General Seru and his fell sorcereress, were a considerable part of the events that brought the empire to its knees.

Ages had passed since then, and yet another was dawning in this time of the broken moon, and still Aataltaal toiled. He had victories to relish and humbling defeats to rue, and still his nemesis Opal Darkbriar dogged him. She thought to have won the day in Freeport, but he had meant the promise he made to the humans there after he saw them safely westward across the Ocean of Tears. That city, like his battle against the gods, might seem lost at present, but the Wheel of Time always rolled round again. The trick was stopping the wheel when it was properly poised for one’s purpose.

Of Course, managing one’s own fate in this way was something that had proved beyond the capability of even the gods (at least as far as Aataltaal knew), but it was an end the elf yet dreamed possible.

He had to believe those dreams. So much else that he had foreseen had come to pass. The citadel floating over the city of freeport. The confiscation of the Books of Knowledge. The shattering of Luclin, and the consequent loss of those first mortals of the Combine Empire who fled there with Katta’s lifeless-yet-living body. The death of Seru he had also foreseen, though one had to take that death on faith since there was no body to be seen. Some things were not as yet entirely clear. Indeed now was a time of great flux. The winners and losers of this age could not yet be clearly foretold – if in the everyday life of Norrath, or the Shattered Lands formerly known as Norrath, things could be judged in such simple terms. The two great cities that survived at this moment in time evidently considered themselves winners, and perhaps righty so.

Qeynos and Freeport, once standing at opposite ends of his beloved Tunaria, more recently called Antonica. As they had once stood geographically, so too did they stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of light and dark – a spectrum of finite morality Aataltaal himself straddled completly, that he was in fact beyond in a way that the earth itself or the constellations were beyond.

The same oracular power that had once led Emperor Katta to seek Aataltaal’s advice in the Lost Age now suggested that the one who might finally bring the Wheel of Time to a safe halt would pass through the land in which he now stood. So the wizened elf sat here, a ragged journal in his hands. It was an ancient tome, and to any lesser mage it would have seemed a great prize. But it had been Aataltaal’s for centuries now, and his own notes were now recorded within. To him it was not an artifact, it was merely a possession.

Ah, but what it led to! – that was an artifact: Tarton’s Wheel.

Long ago Tarton constructed his Wheel so that he might travel the planes. The elves of Takish-Hiz had been the first to make such a journey, having labored for over a century to find the means to enter Innoruuk’s Plane of Hate. Spells for such travel eventually became commonplace among those wizard capable of channeling sufficient mana, but Tarton wanted more, something that might take him beyond the realms where the gods dwelt in semi-real forms that could be defeated but never seemed to die.

Tarton wanted access the the heart of the of the universe itself, where the essences of the gods could be confronted and destroyed altogether. And so, of course, did Aataltaal.

It was unclear even to Aataltaal wheter or not Tarton had actually managed to use his creation for its ultimate purpose. He thought not, for surely there would have been tremendous repercussions for a mortal undertaking such a journey, yet such consequences might well have occured with no mortal being the wiser, for few knew the events or stakes at issue and none could say how, precisely, the effects might be felt.

This kind of shadow-war Aataltaal had now waged for millennia. At nearly every turn he was foiled or brought short, but often the forces thrown against him created ripples in the world at large. He had managed to assemble the ten spokes of Tarton’s Wheel, but then the ripples of causality began to spread. Perhaps his estimation of his importance or the danger he or his quest posed to the gods – at least to Innoruuk – was inflated, but it seemed likely that all of the divinities must fear his success. Perhaps the roadblocks set before him were concidental, but he thought not.

Regardless, it was no coincidence, surely, that very laws and fabric of the universe were altered as soon as Aataltaal possessed and assembled all the pieces of the Wheel. The global destruction had begun to subside the moment he disassembled the artifact and spread the pieces once again.

He wished he believed in happenstance, for then he would not be haunted by the ghosts of the countless thousands who perished in the catastrophes that had rocked Norrath. Now he had that blood on his hands, just as he was haunted by specter of the Combine Empire and the restless souls of those elves transformed by the Prince of Hate when the rescue of their sovereigns went away.

So it was that here, in the lifeless waste of the Thundering Steppes, Aataltaal drafted the final portion of this journal. The writings concerned the first piece of Tarton’s Wheel, called Azia. Once he had finished, he would place the journal in the magically locked chest, which he would then send secretly to the docks of the Steppes. There, only an individual with one of two proper keys – a pair of inconspious emerald Aataltaal would sell, one each, to vendors within the two sities of the former Tunaria – could recover the journal.

With the journal in hand, an individual might begin his own cycle through time, If Aataltaal’s perceptions of his visions were accurate this time, then the one destined to find his journal might just sneak beneath the notice of the gods, and use the Wheel succesfully without arousing the kind of wholesale destruction Aataltaal himself had caused.

And that’s why it seemed so reasonable to leave a riddle regarding the ancient city called Wielle for last, because Freeport was where change needed to begin.

Blacktree Island, Blue Seal Cove, D'lere, Developer Interviews, Eel Island, EQ2 Primer Guides, Erud's Crossing, Everfrost, EverQuest 2 Lore, Far Seas Trading Company, Fayspire, Feerott, Firetop Island, Freeport Infirmary and Asylum, Galicus Island, Gibbon Island, Highbourne, Isle of the Dead, Isles of Ebb, Karan, Kithicor Woods, Lavastorm Mountains, Moors of Ykesha, Nektulos, Northgate, Palm Island, Professor R.J. Skittlewit, Ro, Sandshore Island, Shattered Lands, Talys, The Commonlands, The Dead Calm, The Enchanted Lands, The Forbidden Forest, The Isles of Refuge, The Phantom Sea, The Serpant's Fang, The Skyspire, The Straits of Twelve, Unkempt Forest, Zek

EQ2 Maps

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The Isles of Refuge were established by the Far Seas Trading Company. For the most part they are a collection of islands resting in the large central body of water in the Shattered Lands, the Tranquil Sea. It is from these islands that the Far Seas Trading Company can best base their trade routes out of. There are numerous islands in the Tranquil Sea, not just the Isles of Refuge. These islands are diverse in resources, keeping the Far Seas Trading Company very busy and their mysterious leaders very rich.

One of the most important resources that the Far Seas Trading Company found were the many refugees that had been marooned on any number of isles throughout the Tranquil Sea. All the islands in the Tranquil Sea were once part of the large continent of Antonica. During the Age of Cataclysms the undercontinent below Antonica, Subtunaria, erupted in violent quakes. Much of Subtunaria collapsed and this brought down large sections of Antonica, helping to create the vast Tranquil Sea and its many islands. Marooned out on these shards of a once great continent were a great many villagers, clans, tribes and adventurers.

Not all islanders are seeking refuge within the great and mighty cities of man, but for those that do there are the trade boats of the Far Seas Trading Company. Those cargo ships visit many islands to collect resources to be sold in various markets. Far Seas Trading Posts pop up on many small isles. Not all of those trading posts are public knowledge. Many are secret ports that the Far Seas will share with no nation. I am sure we will discover more islands of the Tranquil Sea in the future, with or without the permission of the Far Seas Trading Company.

There are many oceans and seas on Norrath that have yet to be rediscovered by adventurers or even the FSTC. It will be quite some time until we visit theses oceans to find if any changes have occurred on the surface or below the waves. But we do have a decent chart of the seas resting within the Shattered Lands.

The Shattered Lands has numerous seas dividing its islands. Most of these seas were formed in the recent rending of Old Antonica, what the Shattered Lands used to be. Most of the waterways are dangerous for both the extreme conditions as well as the dangerous denizens that inhabit the water of the air of a given sea. Here are the known seas within the Shattered Lands as charted by the Far Seas Trading Company.

The Coldwind Coast
Relative Island: New Antonica in Karan
This is a cold temperate sea. It has strong winds and choppy waves. It is a great territory for sailing, but only within a ship worthy of ocean travel. Birds of many sizes glide with the currents. Beneath the waters lurk dangers such as sharks and aqua goblins.

The Tranquil Sea
Relative Island: All
This sea is nearly always sunny and with clear skies. It is the largest sea in the Shattered Lands and nearly all islands have direct access to it. The waves here are gentle and allow ships to skim across them with little resistance. This would be a wonderful place to sail if it were not for the lack of wind current. The winds blow far too gently in this sea. Many great ships must employ rows of oars and even magic to provide locomotion for their great hulking vessels that must pass through this sea to reach the Trade City of Freeport located in the Commonlands.

The Neriuss Flow
Relative Island: Nektulos in D’Lere
This is a sea of dark waters. Ash floats above the waves creating a dense black fog. The ash floats in from the northern territory of Lavastorm. It shields many of the lurking beasts within the water as well as occasional Kheklok raiders, a relative race of the frogloks that exists within the ocean depths.

The Sea of Mist
Relative Island: The Enchanted Lands
This is a sea of gently rolling waves and wind currents. It is most known for forming an odd mist during the early hours of dawn. That mist flows with the current to enter the shores of the Enchanted Lands.

The Sea of Crossed Swords
Relative Island: Zek
This is a sea located near the orc island of Zek. The waves here are tall and they create slow navigation, something undesired to any mariners who sail this sea. There are numerous orc patrols sailing these waters and even deep sea orc war galleys passing through to perform raids in adjacent waterways. This sea is considered the territory of the Deathfist Empire.

The Seafury
Relative Island: The Thundering Steppes in Karan
The Seafury is a sea notorious for violent storms and extreme ocean conditions. It is almost always stormy in this region and the waves here dwarf any other sea. Visibility is nearly cut to a minimum and only the largest and strongest creatures can survive in the harsh environment. Aviak air raiders also stalk the winds in search of ships to plunder and sink.

The Sea of Sand
Relative Island: Ro
This sea is like a wall of sandstorms that races around the island of Ro. Any ships that dare sail into this maelstrom is soon to be sandblasted and its crew most certainly with it. There is no known passage through this anomaly. What sort of creatures could exist in this sea is unknown. Rumors abound that the massive sandstorm that comprises this region is actually a sentient being. Such babble is usually scoffed at.

The Gunthak Flow
Relative Island: Ykesha
The Gunthak Flow is a sea of many small uncharted isles. These isles have a great number of lost pirate booty and ruins of old troll fortresses. It exists in a tropical environment. The seas are warm and humid as is the gentle breeze. The breeze occasionally gives way to fierce hurricanes, but that is not a common occurrence.

The Blackwater
Relative Island: The Feerrott
This is a sea of countless naval battles. Ages ago this sea was controlled by the second coming of the Rallosian Empire, a brutal ogre militaristic empire that ruled with an iron fist. There are often many shipwrecks to be found in this sea as well as an occasional floating hulk of what was once a formidable ogre War Galley. Numerous stories of ghostly ships abound and cause many mariners to shun this body of water.

The Fanged Sea
Relative Island: Everfrost
This is a sea filled with icebergs and chilling cold winds. A chilly haze fills the sea, cutting visibility down to dangerous levels. Naval vessels will often need to avoid smaller bergs or take damage upon collision. Many ships have had their hulls cut open as easily as a knife cuts through butter jum. Ice storms are frequent in this region.

Freewater Channel
Relative Island: The Commonlands in D’Lere
This is a sea of rolling waves and an equally gentle breeze, but a breeze of cutting chill. The water is thick with brine and islands of seaweed float along the surface. There is a gentle uneasy calm about this sea. It is well known for the frequent aqua goblin assaults upon nearly any ship that dare cross it. Some sailors report that their ships were boarded by pirates in aqua goblin costumes or even members of the Seafury Buccaneers. The Seafury Buccaneer piracy reports are quickly dismissed since they are part of the Freeportian armed forces and would never return to their days of high seas raids. The sky of this sea is filled with a canopy of gloomy gray clouds that shower down gentle drizzle. The water’s extreme saline content makes it difficult for even normal salt water denizens to exist for long periods of time.

The Cauldron
Relative Island: Lavastorm
The Cauldron sits in a locale with an extremely large number of geothermal vents beneath the waves. The sea boils and large bubbles may form that can actually cause damage to a ship’s hull should they collide. Whirlpools are a common sight in this sea. Some portions of the Cauldron can only be navigated by ships reinforced by great magic or technology to survive the boiling sea and searing winds.

The Straits of Twelve
Relative Island: Highbourne
Nestled by the tempest of the Seafury in the north and the Blackwater to the south, this sea can be found. This sea is filled with jagged spires of rock with no accessible land. The spires are the tips of the shattered peaks of the once great Rathe Mountains. The majestic mountain range dropped into the ocean when a massive collapse of the Underfoot occurred beneath it. What land exists is rocky and barren of vegetation. Most spires are too steep to offer level ground to set foot upon. One great danger of this sea is its shallow and jagged basin. Much of the once mountain range sits below the tides and many a ship have had their hulls gutted by unseen daggers of rock stretched towards the surface, but never breaking through. The grandest sight in this sea is the twelve peaks of the Rathe Mountains that jut high above the waves. Their odd and almost lifelike appearance recounts the tales of these twelve mountains actually being titanic beings of earth and rock defeated ages ago by a legendary ogre champion.

The Dead Calm
Relative Island: Unknown if any exists
The Dead Calm is a waterway no seafarer ventures no matter how brave they may be. But there are those who are foolish and it is from tales of these foolish mariners that we get what little information of this sea. All wind and all tides completely cease when you encounter the boundary of this sea. The foolhardy that trudge onward by oars slowly begin to loose energy and become extremely lethargic. As they row onward, their faces and bodies appear to loose fullness as it appears that the life is being sucked out of them. By the time they realize their mistake to enter this sea, it is impossible to retreat to safe waters. The foolish seafarers become part of the derelict graveyard of ships and floating islands of bones that drift in the sea. No mariner has ever been able to survive in this sea to explore the horizon and discover any isle that may hide at the heart of the Dead Calm. A hint of an island at the center of the sea is sometimes reported.

Norrathians have returned from the treacherous seas in the northern territories of the Shattered Lands. With them came wondrous tales of sights never seen One of these tales is said to be a glint of light in a deep frozen atoll. The chill of that fills the bowl formed by the steep cliffs of the atoll makes visibility nearly impossible, yet, a ship dared to brave the mist. What they found was deadly to say the least. Only one sailor made it back, the same cannot be said for his sanity. He ended up in the padded cells of the Freeport Infirmary and Asylum. He told a tale of a glint of light shining in the mist. His captain forced the ship into the thick white fog and onward to this glint. They found a frozen tower, an elven tower. This tower seemed to offer no access, but apparently it did withstand a powerful blast of cold wind. This blast froze the tower, made evident by the long thick icicles that stretch off to one side. The sailor said they found a breach within the icy armor of the tower. They all entered, but only one made it out. His mind gone, all he could mutter was the word, “Fayspire”. How such a madman managed to sail that ship out of there is a mystery just like the frozen atoll that cannot be found on any map.

Erud’s Crossing:

This island actually exists as part of a grouping of isles known as the Isles of Ebb. I will try and send you some lore on the whole island chain some time, but here is a bit about the island in question. This is a small blurb from early design, enjoy:

o Talysra’s Paw

This is the largest island of the chain. A small volcano mount sits on the island. This island has a bumpy wide sand bar running along the north half of it. The sand bar’s four high points are always above water and give the island the appearance of a massive cat’s paw. The Kerran’s who have come to inhabit this island are a secluded sect of the Kerran society. They have named the island after their newly found cat god, Talysra. They have also built a small village called Talys on the island. The densest woods of Aqua Palms appear here as do the regional flower and coconut trees. A small fissure in the side of the small volcanic mount has a tiny trickling floe of lava that seeps down to the northeast corner of the island where it runs into the water and creates vapor.

Oh wow, and here is a bit about the actual village on the island. Some of this lore may never be seen, but I hope you enjoy the original write up:

o Talys

This is the only village in the sea and is a frequent stop of sailing vessels. The village is inhabited by a secluded sub tribe of Kerran’s calling themselves the Laahr. These Kerrans have come to study their roots and unlike the Kerrans of Kerra Ridge, they worship a new found deity known to few Kerrans. The village is small but has adequate facilities for any traveler. There is an inn located across a bamboo bridge and on one of the islands sand bar isles. A gnome from the Academy of Arcane Science, Professor R.J. Skittlewit, has come to Talys to challenge his wits of engineering by providing the natives with contraptions made out of the natural materials and employing natural resources. Machines exist such as a mill made of bamboo and reeds powered by the steam vent of the volcanic fissure. There is a vault also created by the gnome for adventurers to store supplies, allow for banking and store export goods. The Laahr have built a dock and supply outriggers for rent.

It may be a bit more than you see in the Age of Turmoil, but here it is:

o Isle of the Dead

Long ago, in secrecy, the ——— placed the crypts of the most evil mortals of the time on this island. The island appears as a rocky island surrounded by jagged rocks. The topdown view of the island is that of a skull. Massive stone totems were placed on the shoreline to ward away the curious and keep in any evil spirits. There is an ancient mortuary and tomb for five ——- and ——-. A small temple was eventually built on the island. This temple hides the ———–. The entrance is sealed by magic placed upon a massive stone disc that must be rolled aside before one can gain entry. There is one long wide passage that tells the story of the island through images. There is a center chamber with ———-. There is —— in the middle that is used to ———. There are many —— in —–. Each passage tells the history of the vile acts committed by the mortal whose tomb lies at the end of the passage. Many ——– guard the inside of the tomb. The topside of the island is guarded by evil itself, evil specters and apparitions to repel any who wish to gain entry into the tombs.

There are numerous islands located in the Shattered Lands. Not all of these islands will be presented in game, but we know they are there. One of these islands happens to contain a chunk of forestland once known as the Unkempt Wood. The Far Seas Trading Company believes that a portion of that woodland is what forms the island that they call The Forbidden Forest. The cliffs of this towering isle are nearly impossible to scale. If one were to begin the long climb along the cliffs they would no doubt encounter one of the many birds of prey that dwell there, many of which are quite large and vicious.

Veiled by the constant downpour of the sea known as the Phantom Sea, rests a little isle feared by those who are unfortunate enough to know of its existence. This isle is known by seafarers and avoided for the countless fears that rest on the isle. A dense woodland that swallows this forest isle shields what lies within and only one end offers access to those who dare step foot upon the land. Seafaring tales hint at what may rest inside the thicket. Some tales say that during the day it would seem to be a lifeless land. The land is uneven and trails are like mazes between clearings. Some say a fort of rangers long dead exists far to the end of the isle. It would take nearly a day to trek to and from the fort if one was lucky to correctly navigate the trails. Trees are now long dead and those that have leaves offer little color to the environment. No birds are heard chirping. No deer are seen galloping. It is dead. In the evening this becomes even truer. At night the ground is breached by hands of bone of two undead armies rising again to do battle under the moonlight. It is during this time that no one wishes to be caught upon this little isle of horror.

This last one is a bit of babble about a little known isle called The Serpent’s Fang. Jutting up from the center of the vast Tranquil Sea is what remains of the mammoth Serpent’s Spine mountain range, or at least its greatest remnants. This portion of the sea is quite dangerous for sea travel. Hulls of the greatest ships have been known to rip apart as they barely scrape the tops of the jagged sea mounts lurking just below the surface and in between the jagged isles of this area. Most of what one sees as they near this location are tall spires of eroding rock. The spires of rock are too steep and sheer to scale in any way and have little flat ground to support even a single shack. Many spires contain nests of the behemoth birds of prey called Rukhs. The Serpent’s Fang is the largest remnant of the Serpent’s Spine Mountains. What lies in the cloud covered spires crown is unknown. But some say there are those that walk amongst us that do know… quite well.