EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction

Overview

For those adventurers that were part of the events that transpired during the Planes of Power era of Norrath, they will certainly remember the insane ungod known as Zebuxoruk.  It was he who originally sought to grant mortals with the power of the gods, which led the gods to imprison him within the Plane of Time.  The events that transpired within the plane when the mortals of Norrath freed Zebuxoruk from his prison were immediately reversed by Druzzil Ro, the goddess of magic.  She admitted to the mortals that stood at the feet of a defeated Quarm that they would not understand her reasons for doing this, but was steadfast in its necessity.

A new rift in the Plane of Time has now opened, one that leads to a glimpse of a bleak future for Norrath.  The world itself has been shattered into pieces drifting through The Void while the star of Ro, Norrath's sun, fades into darkness after an apparent supernova.  To make matters worse, even the gods themselves have apparently perished in the sundering.  Recognizable weapons and other equipment of the gods lay scattered among the floating debris.  The most striking sight though is the corpse of Veeshan herself floating through the abyss.  Among the wreckage of the planet sits a lone soul, Zebuxoruk, tending to a small sapling growing out of the rocks.  Adventurers must keep in mind that Zebuxoruk is certainly insane, but he has a unique way of accurately interpreting the state of the world.  His manner of speaking is filled with riddles and puzzles, but his words hold the clues to preventing this future from happening.  What is immediately understandable is that the armies of Discord are responsible for this ending to the world of Norrath, and Zebuxoruk knows which events in history must be altered in order to correct the timeline.  Brave adventurers must journey through time and space to save the world once again.

The fifteenth expansion to EverQuest brought about several changes to the game.  Highlights include:

• New Level Cap: Maximum level increased from 80 to 85.
• 20 New Zones: Re-imagined classic content plus new encounters allow players to travel through time to witness the most important events in Norrath's history.
• New Mercenaries: Players can now hire NPC's, either tanks or healers, to help them when wanting to solo or fill an open group slot.
• New Raid/Group Armor: New class armor quests are tied directly to the progression through Seeds of Destruction by using special essences that randomly drop throughout the new zones.

 

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are NPCs which players can hire to assist them in PvE content.  This is similar to the henchman mechanic in Guild Wars.  Mercenaries, or mercs for short, come in two varieties: tanks and healers.  They can be hired in the starting cities, the Planes of Knowledge, or in Oceangreen Village.  Mercenaries have both an initial hiring cost, as well as upkeep which occurs every 15 minutes. 
 
Mercenaries come in three different skill levels: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master.  The skill levels are further subdivided into five tiers each.  Increased skill levels bring higher level spells and abilities, while increased tiers bring a lower chance for the mercenary to "lose confidence" in the group.  A mercenary may lose confidence based on the number and con of mobs the party is facing.  If a mercenary loses confidence, they will become effectively useless until they regain it. 
 
 

Geography 

Druzzil Ro's last minute halting of the mortal's destruction of the gods in the Plane of Time had its side effects.  Her reversing and reweaving of the fabric of time left small weaknesses in the flow of time itself.  The invasion of Mata Muram's army of Discord (Gates of Discord / Omens of War) were but a tip of the spear for a much larger faction of armies who follow the discordant dark god.  Infuriated by Muram's failure, the dark god was left intrigued by the world responsible for his most devout follower's demise.  He became aware of Druzzil Ro's oversight and used the weakness to alter certain events in Norrath's history.  The denizens of the Plane of Time quickly became aware of the continuity errors, which is when rifts started tearing open within the plane.  One such rift led to the end of time, where Norrath had been shattered into thousands of pieces.  It is from this future, known as The Void, that adventurers can enter the same pieces of history and correct the events that have been altered in order to save Norrath's future.

TIER 0

The Void is Zebuxoruk's eternal prison.  From here he has spent countless centuries peering into the portals of time and space and learning of all the possible outcomes and inevitabilities for the world of Norrath and beyond.  He offers clues and advice, although sometimes cryptically, to adventurers seeking to right the wrongs of Discord.  After completing any of the first four scenarios, Zebuxoruk will offer further advice and Ro will brighten.

TIER 1

Kithicor

Bloody Kithicor is a famous tale among all Norrathians, partially because it didn't take place all that long ago.  Kithicor Forest gets its name from a legendary Human ranger that single-handedly defended the area in the name of Karana.  It was once a peaceful area similar to nearby Misty Thicket.  When the Dark Elves decided to take over High Pass, and therefore secure the most popular trade route between Qeynos and Freeport, the forces of good banded together to thwart this plan.  A coalition of Elves, Dwarves, and Humans marched into the woods from High Pass led by the champion of Tunare, Firiona Vie.  They were met by an army led by Neriak's most decorated warrior, Laarthik K'Shin, and his pupil, the daughter of Innoruuk, Lanys T'Vyl.  When it became obvious that the Dark Elves would fail in their attempt to claim High Pass, the god of hate himself intervened.  The result was the bloodiest battle in recent history.  Firiona survived by the grace of Tunare and Lanys was summoned to the Plane of Hate, protected by her father.  As a result of Innoruuk's meddling in the affairs of mortals, his realm became accessible to them.  The forgotten souls that died in this bloodiest of battles still roam Kithicor every night.  The agents of Discord are attempting to reverse the fate of Antonica by having the Teir`Dal control the highly important High Pass.

Old Commonlands, in the time during Bloody Kithicor, was almost completely controlled by the Dark Elves, Ogres, and Trolls known as the Obliteration forces.  Any Humans or Halflings living in the Commonlands were either slain or escape through the tunnels to the Desert of Ro.  It is here that the Dark Elves staged their armies before marching into the forest of Kithicor for war.

Kunark

The Field of Scale is known to today's adventurers as the Field of Bone.  Long ago, the field was a fertile grassland inhabited by the Iksar of the Sebilisian Empire.  As it stands today, it a wasteland covered with bones of dragons and Iksar bleached by the unforgiving sun of Ro.  After the extermination of the Shissar Empire, as the Iksar Empire grew, the dragons began to see them as a threat.  Trakanon, the poison dragon, pushed for a swift and violent crushing of the Iksar, but he was overruled by his brothers and sisters.  Despite this, Trakanon led a group of young dragons in creating a massive wave in the Timorous Deep that swallowed Emperor Rile Sathir's warship.  This act triggered a war that lasted nearly fifty years.  Rile's son, Atrebe, took the throne, but died during one of his own necromantic experiments.  Atrebe's youngest son, Ganak, acted quickly by slaying his older brothers in order to claim the throne.  Under Ganak, the Iksar used the dark arts of necromancy to create artificial life by combining the blood of dragons and frogloks, producing the Sokokar, flying mounts that allowed the Iksar to eliminate the airborne advantage the dragons had.  The Iksar had also used these same experimental methods to combine their own blood with dragon's creating the Sarnak, a vicious race they used as soldiers and slaves.  Over the Field of Scale, one of the largest battles Norrath has ever witnessed took place.  Jaled`Dar, the leader of the Ring of Scale, and the last of the Iksar emperors, Ganak, battled each other for hours before being incinerated by a massive explosion of magic which cut a deep scar through the field.  The Iksar immediately retreated to Sebilis, shocked and dismayed.  The dragons who survived the explosion were shocked as well, but before they retreated, they destroyed the imperial palace of Kaesora and all of the hatchlings within it, thus ending the bloodline of the Iksar emperors.  The riders of Discord seek to strengthen the Iksar forces and absorb them into the collection of races that raid worlds in the name of Discord.  They have traveled through time to offer Ganak a dragonbane shield to protect himself and offer Kurn, the Iksar Warmaster, the knowledge of creating weapons enchanted with dragonbane by performing draconic sacrifices.  With these weapons, the Iksar will surely obliterate the Ring of Scale unless something is done.

Kaesora Hatchery was a place to raise young Iksar in the Sebilisian Empire of old.  It was here that the Iksar also created and bred the Sokokar, a Froglok and dragon hybrid they would use as flying mounts in war against the dragons.

Kaesora Library was the largest and most comprehensive library in the world at the height of the Sebilisian Empire.  In present day, it lies in ruins and has been inhabited a powerful Sarnak known as Xalgoz.

Kurn's Stronghold is where Warmaster Kurn has holed up to devise a better plan of attack against the Ring of Scale.  While loyal to Emperor Ganak, Kurn does not always agree with the Emperor's decisions when it comes to strategy and action.  The agents of Discord have given Kurn the knowledge necessary to create dragonbane weapons, making it possible for a single Iksar to slay a dragon.

Qeynos

Oceangreen is the old name for the region currently consisting of Jaggedpine Forest, Surefall Glade, Blackburrow, Qeynos Hills, and much of the Karana plains.  Back then, the continent was known as Tunaria, in honor of the Mother of All.  After the fall of the Combine Empire, the majority of Humans spread out across Tunaria and established many villages throughout Oceangreen.  The villages along the shore eventually became Qeynos under the leadership of Antonius Bayle the Great Unifier.  As Humanity blossomed into a new era of civilization, a plague nearly erased them from history.  A hidden temple was constructed in honor of Bertoxxulous, the god of disease, not far from the growing city.  Bayle led a group of rangers and warriors into the hills to battle the Plaguebringer's followers, while a troup of druids washed away the disease eminating from the temple.  The god of Discord has altered history here by increasing the potency of the plague, attempting to end the Human race before their rise to power.

Oceangreen Village is Antonius Bayle's hometown and is where he first led his people in any manner.  The village is under attack by hordes of undead and worshippers of Bertoxxulous.  The nearby Sabretooth gnolls of Blackburrow have barricaded themselves inside their dens, staying out of this war.  The hand of Discord is attempting to not only increase the number of undead in the area but also to convince the gnolls to join the attack on the village.  Their goal is to slay Humanity's greatest leader before he has a chance to gain favor among his people.

Old Blackburrow is and always has been home to gnolls.  Long ago it was held by the Darkpaw clan, but their home was taken from them by the Sabretooth.  During this period of the Human establishment of the region, the Sabretooth gnolls barricaded themselves within Blackburrow's caverns.  They did not wish to become involved with the Humans' battles with Bertoxxulous.  The Darkpaw are attempting to form a truce with the Humans in order to drive the Sabretooth out of Blackburrow.  The agents of Discord have infiltrated Blackburrow, and are corrupting the Sabretooth to their will.  Soon the Sabretooth gnolls will launch an attack on the Humans and Darkpaw clan, severely limiting the chances of the Humans survival against the plague.

The Temple of Bertoxxulous was built with the aid of The Plaguebringer himself.  The god of disease was so overjoyed at the idea of temple being built for him in Norrath that he infused it with his own power.  The necromancers and shadow knights that reside in the temple plan to eradicate their Human brothers and sisters, unless they are willing to convert.  For decades, they have lived in the temple increasing their power and knowledge of all things diseased and undead.  Their plague will soon threaten all life across the continent of Tunaria.  The god of Discord is doing all he can to make sure that Antonius Bayle and the Humans of Oceangreen canont quell this plague in time.

Invasion of Earth

During a time known as the Elder Age, Rallos Zek's creation ruled Norrath.  The Ogres, as well Zek's other creations including orcs, giants, and goblins, were not dimwitted as they are today.  They were highly intelligent masters of strategy on top of being brutal beasts in combat on the battlefield.  The Ogres were led by Murdunk, one of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen.  After conquering much of what is known today as Antonica, Murdunk decided that their next conquest would be the planes of the gods.  About this time, the Shissar Empire of Kunark had begun searching for new lands to conquer.  When they came to what is now known as Antonica, Murdunk met with Emperor Ssraeshza and convinced him that a war between their empires was not the answer.  Murdunk talked the Shissar leader into invading the planes with him.  While the Shissar assaulted the lesser planes of now forgotten demigods, the Rallosian Empire went straight to the top, the elemental Plane of Earth.

Murdunk and his armies did not understand the true power of The Rathe council and their regenerative ability.  When one of the thirteen members fell in battle, another immediately sprouted up to replace it.  Though many of the denizens of the Plane of Earth fell at the hands of the Rallosian army, The Rathe ultimately prevailed.  The failure angered Rallos Zek, and he did not wish to wait for Murdunk to heal before making a second attempt.  Zek enlisted the Orc brothers, Tallon and Vallon, masters of strategy and tactics, to lead the empire.  Murdunk was allowed to enter battle, but not as a leader.  The second attempt was successful, although the Rallosian army could still not figure out how to slay The Rathe.  Instead, they captured one of the thirteen and brought it back to the mortal realm of Norrath.  That member was executed, and as the councilman hit the ground, a towering range of mountains rose out of the ground, thus creating The Rathe Mountains of southern Antonica.  The remaining twelve mourned the the irreversable death of their brother, their tears creating the nearby body of water known as Lake Rathetear.

Although Rallos Zek is easily the greatest warrior to have ever existed, not even he could truly understand the magnitude of the elemental planes.  The Rathe Council, upon the death of Murdunk, began exacting their revenge.  They placed a curse upon all of Rallos Zek's creations with the help of several other gods among the pantheon.  The curse limited the power, of both strength and knowledge, thus keeping them ever attempting anything as ridiculous as invading the planes.  Tallon and Vallon were able to escape the curse by being summoned to Drunder, the Fortress of Zek, to remain beside their master.  The gods sterilized a large portion of the Rallosian Empires' land by freezing it solid, thus creating Everfrost Peaks.  The agents of Discord seek to reverse the curse by giving the Rallosian Empire the knowledge and power to obliterate the Plane of Earth and then the remaining three elemental planes.  If the god of war prevails, Discord will reign over Norrath well before the actual invasion of the Muramites in Taelosia.

Toskirakk is the original capital city of the Ogres and served as a beacon for all races of the Rallosian Empire.  The mines that ran beneath the city produced the platinum that rattles in the pockets of every Norrathian to this day.  It is from here that Murdunk hatched his plan to invade the realms of the gods.  The city is where they held and executed the thirteenth member of the Rathe Council.

The Korascian Warrens is an area within the Plane of Earth and also where the Rallosian Empire infiltrated the plane.  The region gets its name from Korascian Prime, a great frog who guarded the Rathe Council Chambers for centuries.  The riders of Discord have destroyed Korascian's lair, thus tearing a rift through the ground revealing the crystalline core of the elemental plane and releasing waves of crystalline monsters who tolerate no forms of life in their presence.  Utter chaos has ensued at the hands of the agents of Discord.

The Rathe Council Chamber is the original home to the thirteen members that govern the element of earth.  Stone golems patrol the beautiful hallways along with many other types of native residents of the plane.  If Discord has its way, the Rallosian Empire will slaughter the council and cement Rallos Zek as the new ruler of the elemental realm.  And with the success of the empire backed by a more powerful Warlord, they will usher an age of destruction and dominance into Norrath.

TIER 2

Kuua

The City of Dranik, as it is witnessed through the portal from The Void, is as it was during the beginning stages of the Muramite invasion.  The Dragorn are still holding down the city as the Muramites control much of the continent and are encroaching upon the capital city.  The Muramites are attempting to alter history here by increasing their forces in preparation for the Norrathians that will soon arrive in the land of Kuua.

The Old Bloodfields are the lands held by the Muramite invasion of Kuua while the Dragorn still valiantly defend their capital city of Dranik.

The Precipice of War is a mission handed out by a Dragorn in Dranik named Yemall the Arcane.  He hopes to intercept incoming Muramites directly from their portal and capture them for studying.  Accepting this task may seem insane, but it could help the Dragorn better understand their enemies.

TIER 3

Discord

Korafax, Home of the Riders, is the "Heart of Discord."  In order to access the realm from The Void, all of the notable moments in history have to have been corrected to ensure Norrath's future.  Once that is done, it is on to the source of the problem.  Several missions and tasks must be completed within Korafax before anyone can enter the massive tower that looms in the distance.

The Citadel of the Worldslayer is more commonly referred to by Norrathians as Discord Tower.  On a marathon journey up the tower, adventurers will encounter countless atrocities.  The first test involves the trickery of the mind during an encountera grotesque creature known as The Mindblight.  Then its on to the trophy room where several electrified statues representing the dominant races within the army of Discord.  The third encounter is the stasis chamber, where waves of creatures must be released and fought or else the feel the wrath of the curator.  In the midst of this battle is revealed that they have captured both Firiona Vie and Lanys T'Vyl, both of which are now under the control of Discord and must be defeated in order to progress.  Then it is on to the Ikaav scryers that must be slain.  Adventurers must then disrupt a dark ritual ceremony run by Discordant Corrupters.  As the raid gets closer to the top of the tower, the last line of defense is the elite towerguards.  With the elites dead, it is on to the highest ranking members of Discord including Zun`Muram Volklana, Pixtt Kretv Krakxt, Arch Magus Vangl, Taskmistress Krisz, and The Synarcana.  With the generals defeated, only Lord Brekt remains.  The Rider of Discord himself stands atop the tower and is fought on the roof.  The battle takes place during a meteor shower, which means taking damage from debris falling from the sky.  The wind from the storm is deafening, which limits casters' use of magic.  Allies falling in battle only empowers Lord Brekt, increasing the damage he can inflict.

Upon defeating Lord Brekt and returning to Zebuxoruk in The Void, the ungod confirms that Norrath has been saved...for now.  Sadly, Zebuxoruk realizes that his good deeds will go unnoticed, for with the reversal of time, the recent events never actually happened.  He will remain imprisoned in the Plane of Time for another eternity.  He asks only that the Norrathians responsible for saving the world remember him and to prepare for the inevitable invasion from other worlds, whether it be tomorrow or in a millenium.  Zebuxoruk explains that when the weave of time is weak enough, a new assault will come to Norrath from creatures still foreign to the adventurers.  He has forseen it while gazing through the portals in his eternal prison.  Zebuxoruk speaks cryptically of an Alabaster Tower which will offer salvation in the time of great dispair for Norrath.  He simply claims to have seen it, unable to explain what he saw or show any evidence of the inevitable future.  Zebuxoruk wishes the adventurers well and to live out their lives as they do, until a time they return to him in need.