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A couple of years ago, I wrote a series of articles for the now-defunct website RPGExpert called "The Complete Wayfarer's Guide," in something like 6 parts (yes, I milked it.)

It covered basically every aspect of travel and pathfinding up to PoP - which means it would be perfect for EQMac - I have been playing EQMac for a little while now, and I have to say I'm frankly digging it. I'll go ahead and repost some of these things, since I managed to save them - I think they might be helpful and interesting, so here ya go.

Note: the Guides to Western Antonica and Velious seem to have been lost...

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

The Complete Wayfarer's Guide, Part I
To Norrath and Environs
Part I:
0. Introduction
I. General Tips and Navigation
I.1. The Zone Wall
I.2. /loc
I.3. Invisibility
I.4. The Map
I.5. The Compass
I.6. Faction
I.7. Keys, Flags and Level Limits
I.8. Shadowrest
II. Zone Connections
II.1. The Old World
II.2. Kunark
II.3. Velious
II.4. Luclin
II.5. Planes of Power
Part II:
III. Plane of Knowledge and the Nexus Complex.
III.1. Plane of Knowledge
III.2. The Nexus Complex
IV. Wayfarer Camps
V. 'Ports
VI. Boats
VII. Travel Buffs, etc.
VIII. Afterwords


0. Introduction.
EverQuest is a vast game, and it keeps getting bigger - each expansion brings new zones to explore, new places to go and new things to see - not to mention new things to kill and new stuff to take. Even between expansions, only a priveleged few have learned the game well enough to get to and master the out-of-the-way endgame zones. Sleeper's Tomb requires a drop from named, Velious dragons; Vex Thal requires spending time in ten different zones on Luclin; reaching the Plane of Time requires having gone through virtually all of Planes of Power.
My ambition with this paper is to lay out the geography of EverQuest in the most intuitive manner possible. Those who have been playing for awhile, who have many characters of higher or lower level, and have a lot of play time, will know how to get around. This guide is for all those who have had the experience of being invited somewhere by a friend and been forced to decline; for everyone who has died on his way to a raid; or experienced any of the many pitfalls that can befall the solo traveller in EverQuest.

The aphorisms of Part I of this Wayfarer's Guide are for the new and inexperienced player and cover what is needed to get from Here to There with a minimum of fuss. For the most part, it covers travel in expansions up to Planes of Power. The tables and charts in Part II form an easy reference to all the various modes of transportation. Taken together they form a nearly complete picture of the way EverQuest's geography is "put together."

I. General Travel and Navigation.
By General Travel I am speaking mostly of running from here to there, which is the way it used to be done; I remember when crossing the Karanas on foot was routine, by gum, and you didn't even think about fighting in Lower Guk if you bound in Paineel.
Much, but not all, of that has changed. Some activities still require, as they say, truckin', and for these it is good to have a general knowledge of the tools and techniques of navigation, even given the convenience of the modes of transportation listed in Part II of this paper.

1.1. The Zone Wall. EverQuest's zones, and particularly outdoor zones, are generally square and bounded by walls; nine times out of ten, the zonelines will be along the wall of the zone - if you don't know where the zoneline you want is, your best bet is to simply follow the wall until you find it. More than this, at least in the EverQuest Trilogy, you will meet wandering monsters along the wall more rarely than you would if you cut across the zone.
Therefore, most players who are in the know hug the zone wall when travelling through unfamiliar zones; this is a technique which will, in all probability, last you your entire EverQuest career.

I.2. /loc. /loc is the original navigation tool of EverQuest, and returns your location, given in X,Y,Z coordinates, to the chat window. X is the North-South axis, Y is the East-West axis, and Z is the Up-Down axis.
In the early days of EverQuest this was a very useful feature to have and know if you didn't have your skill in Sense Heading trained up. Sense Heading is now given to all characters at 200 skill, and the map and the compass have simplified navigation to an extent which would never have been expected in the Days of Way Back When, so knowing how to read /loc is increasingly trivial. [EQMac edit - we don't get Sense Heading at 200, so keep hitting that button!]
However, learning to read /loc coordinates can be very helpful in recovering travel corpses, particularly in old zones without Graveyards, without stopping for a Chipped Bone Rod. In the days just before the release of Velious, I learned to navigate gloomy Toxxulia Forest by dead-reckoning, using /loc and the Sense Heading skill.

1.3. Invisibility. Invisibility sets a character's faction to "Indifferent" with anything that does not See Invisible, and forbids interaction with NPCs in most instances. This is obviously indispensible for travel, and may be attained in various ways - particularly spells such as Invisibility, Gather Shadows and Camoflage, and the Sneak / Hide skills. Undead "naturally" See Invisible, and must be "tricked" by Invis. to Undead; one cannot be invis to both Undead and normals at the same time, making mixed areas such as Karnor's Castle very difficult to sneak through.
Using Invisibility will cause summoned pets to unsummon instantly - this is the use of the quested Magician Earthen Boots having instant-click Invisibility to Animals, to get rid of wayward pets instantly; the pre-nerf Circlet of Shadow may be used similarly and has a hundred other uses besides.
Some NPCs, such as the Kobold Shamans in Nagafen's Lair, cast See Invisible on themselves and their allies; and this will make "sneaking down" into such areas more difficult and sometimes impossible. At any rate, any class which gets Invisibility or Invis. to Undead, or both, should make them a standard part of their "travel-ready" spell-list. The only danger while invisible, all else being equal, is NPCs who are ordinarily Threatening or Ready to Attack, cf. I.5. Faction, who are also able to See Invis.

I.4. The Map. The Map is accessed by hitting the Backspace key by default; it shows, in old world zones or ones you have a map for, a map of the zone and a moving arrow to mark your position and heading. Maps for most non-dungeon zones in the old world, Kunark and Velious are included; others need to be mapped using supplies from Broken Skull Rock, the island off Odus where Legacy of Ykesha takes place. The map is, really, the modern way to get around.
Note that some high-end zones, such as Temple of Veeshan in Velious and Ssraezsha Temple on Luclin, do not permit the use of mapping. For these you will need an external map, either from the Maps of Myrist book or from EQMaps, your free one-stop-shop for EverQuest maps online.

1.5. The Compass. This is a recent addition to the EverQuest interface, and gives the direction you are facing. This was originally tied into the Sense Heading skill, but now that all characters are granted 200 skill to start, this is a very handy tool for navigating.

1.6. Faction. Faction reflects the possibility of interaction with NPCs; each NPC is associated with a Faction, and the PC interacts with NPCs by way of their Faction Standing with that NPC; you can determine your Faction Standing with a particular NPC (and thus also that of the Faction it is on) by way of /consider.
Faction Standing is a question of magnitude, and there is no instance in which higher is not better. The scale, as returned by /consider, runs: Ally, Warmly, Kindly, Amiably, Indifferently, Apprehensively, Dubiously, Threateningly, Ready to Attack. Ally is the maximum; Amiable is required to bank with an NPC; Apprehensive to buy or sell. Dubious will not permit buying or selling. NPCs who are Threatening and Ready to Attack NPCs will kill the PC on sight.
Faction Standing with particular factions is modified by questing and by killing NPCs; the Faction of the NPC usually determines the Faction Hits taken when they are killed or, conversely, quested with. Most factions oppose some other faction, as the Freeport Militia and the Knights of Truth - positive action for the one usually means a negative reaction for the other, forming a rough balance.
Negative faction hits are generally, but not always, larger than positive faction hits. A very low Faction Standing with the Factions in a particular area will cause problems travelling through that area c.f. section I.3. Invisibility. Illusions and the Alliance series of spells also temporarily affect faction.

1.7. Keys, Flags, and Level Limits. Some zones and encounters are restricted, requiring a key, a particular level limit having been reached, or a Character Flag as a result of quest progression before the zone can be accessed; if a character does not meet the requirement he will be told that he is unable to enter the area, and why. The Old Planes, for instance, are limited to level 46+, and several named raid targets in Ssraezsha Temple require their own keys.
Some zones have more than one requirement. For instance, Sebilis and Sleeper's Tomb both require keys and have a required level of 46. The Planar Advancement quest in Planes of Power is progressive, and ideally each Tier must be "completed" before the next series can be accessed.
There are only two examples, to the best of my knowledge, of a Negative Level Requirement - these being the Lord Nagafen and Lady Vox encounters in the Old World, which will expel any character above level 52 who tries to participate.
As an aside, if you try to zone into an expansion you don't own, you will usually bounce to the safe point of the current zone; if you try to zone into an expansion which you own but which is not installed, you run the risk of getting stuck between zones. If you get stuck, you will need to petition for a GM to get you out, by using /petition and following the instructions.

I.8. Shadowrest. This is the zone to which unrecovered corpses return after seven days, so that otherwise lost equipment may be recovered. It is accessed through an NPC in the Plane of Knowledge. There is a corpse caller at the front of the zone, who looks like a small Itraer Vius. Speak to him and he will summon your rotted corpse to you. The exit to this zone is a book placed along the wall.

II. Zone Connections.
These are important to know, since EverQuest is huge. Zone connection maps, such as those found in the "Maps of Myrist" are a big help. I will give a summary of my mnemonic here.
It is easiest to divide EverQuest's geography into the expansions. This gives us five main areas: The Old World, Kunark, Velious, Luclin and the Planes of Power. These also can be subdivided usefully.
Virtually every expansion released so far, save the "extension" Ykesha, has one or more prestige sets of visible armor for each class, which goes some way towards the "experience" of the expansion, and so I have also taken some brief time to describe these. The Old World armor is not as good as Old Planar; which is not as good as Kunark; which is not as good as Velious; which is not as good as Planes of Power Ornate; which is not as good as Planes of Power Elemental. Conversely, any of these may be obtained earlier in a PCs career than the next.

II.1. The Old World includes three continents - Odus, Antonica and Faydwer, from West to East. Legacy of Ykesha's Broken Skull Rock can be regarded as an extension of Odus, which was not complete when EverQuest was released. All starting cities but Cabilis and Shar Vahl are a part of the Old World. Factions here are governed by a complex "balance of power," which requires its own guide and really must be explored to be understood.
Faydwer and Odus are small enough to be taken each in themselves. I divide Antonica into an East Coast from Freeport to Highpass, a West Coast, starting from Qeynos and extending all the way to East Karana, and a Southern Part, including Rathe, Innothule and the Feerrott.
All of Lost Dungeons of Norrath is connected to the Old World. c.f. section IV, Wayfarer Camps.
It is worth noting that most classes have quests from the Temple of Solusek Ro, appropriate for about levels 25-40, and that many otherwise inexplicable drops found in the Old World are for these quests, many of which are class-defining e.g. the Magician Foci and the Wizard Staff of Temperate Flux, or required for a Kunark Class Epic e.g. Shadow Knight Darkforge.

II.1.1. The Old Planes are the Plane of Fear, the Plane of Hate, and the Plane of Sky; each is accessed in a unique way, and requires its own special strategy. They are all restricted to characters level 46+, and were intended, when they were released, to be raid zones. However, by the standards of modern high-end EverQuest they are not very difficult.
The Plane of Fear is an outdoor, forest / jungle zone, and is accessed by a portal from the Feerrott. The Plane of Hate is an evil Citadel-city, accessed by Wizard teleport or by way of an NPC in Plane of Tranquility; either way requires a Fulvous Soulstone of Innoruuk. The usual reason to fight in these zones is for drops of class-specific Planar Armor for the visible armor slots, which may also be turned in at the Plane of Knowledge for experience and a chance for a Diamond or Peridot. Armor from here is generally inferior to that from high-end Kunark or Velious.
Plane of Sky may only be accessed by Wizard teleport, and is a quest zone consisting of a progressive series of seven Islands. The equipment here is comparable or superior to the drops from Plane of Fear or Plane of Hate, and are mostly for the invisible armor slots. One major reason to raid this zone is for the quested, class specific 40%-haste belts for melee classes (Rangers get a cloak.)

II.1.2. The Tutorial. All new characters have the option of beginning their EverQuest careers in the Tutorial, and should take it; the character is granted level 2 for free and the Mines of Gloomingdeep are certainly the best "newbie yard" in the game. The quests are simple and result in nearly immediate upgrades, which is not to be expected otherwise of a newbie in Norrath. No existing guide has done the Tutorial justice.
In terms of travel, the NPC responsible for taking a character to his hometown can be found at the "Rebel Camp;" and characters can return to the Tutorial by means of a command at any time up to level 5.

II.2. Kunark the jungle continent is fairly homogenous, and can be taken as a single area. It does not subdivide into sections easily, but Cabilis forms something of a 'hub'. The other entrances to the continent are by boat, from Butcherblock to Firiona Vie ("good") and from Oasis to the Overthere ("evil"). The dungeons here are: Old Sebilis, Chardok, Karnor's Castle, Kaesora, Howling Stones, Dalnir's Crypt, Veeshan's Peak, Droga and Nurga.
Howling Stones (a.k.a. Charassis) and Sebilis both require quested keys. Veeshan's Peak was once a "Kunark level" raiding dungeon, with 32000hp bosses, but has recently been upgraded to the level of the Elemental planes; it too requires a quested key.
Kunark and the Old World are the focus of all the Kunark Class Epic and Iksar Class Epic quests, except for Beastlords (whose Class Epic extends to Luclin) and Berzerkers, whose Class Epic takes them, presumably, all over the previous expansions and into Gates of Discord.
Faction does not play a large part in Kunark; since the entrance to Kunark for evils is through the Overthere outpost, and since the Overthere Outpost is on Venril Sathir faction, to preserve faction here it is best for evil classes and races not to fight in Kaesora, Howling Stones, or Karnor's Castle. Most will always be killed on sight by Iksar. A few interesting quests are available from the Sarnak, faction with whom can be gained by killing Kunark Goblins.

II.3. Velious's icy zones are a linear progression: their order is Iceclad Ocean, Eastern Wastes, Kael Drakkel, Wakening Lands, Skyshrine, Cobalt Scar, Siren's Grotto, Western Wastes, progressing Westward from Iceclad Ocean. Great Divide, which has both a book and Nexus Spires, is a cul-de-sac - to progress deeper one must zone to East Wastes and go through Kael.
There are Wizard / Druid portals, called Dragon Circles for their design, in Iceclad Ocean, Eastern Wastes, Great Divide, Wakening Lands, and Cobalt Scar.
Velious is dominated by the Giant, Dragon and Dwarf factions, the Kromzek, the Claws of Veeshan and the Coldain respectively. Coldain and Giants battle over Iceclad Ocean, East Wastes and Great Divide; Dragons and Giants contend for the Wakening Lands; and the Claws of Veeshan control the area from Skyshrine westward. The Giants are thus at war with both the Dragons and the Dwarves, but the Dwarves and Dragons are not allied. Alliance with any particular faction gives access to the cities and quests of that faction; each faction has a set of questable armor for each class, Dwarves being the least of the three, Giants and Dragons roughly equal with each other.

In terms of dungeons and other sites of interest: Tower of Frozen Shadow is off Iceclad; Crystal Caverns and Sleeper's Tomb are off East Wastes; Velketor's Labyrynth and Thurgadin are off Great Divide; Temple of Veeshan and Dragon Necropolis are off Western Wastes. Plane of Growth is accessed from Wakening Lands, and Plane of Mischief from Great Divide.
The Old World, Kunark, and Velious are sometimes referred collectively as the EverQuest Trilogy.

II.4. Luclin is a moon, tidally locked with Norrath, divided into a Light Side of desert areas which face the Sun including Sanctus Seru, a fungus-covered Dark Side including Katta Castellum, and an Underground which includes the Nexus Complex. There is also a "Twilight" area, including the Grey and a few other zones. Luclin's zone layout is seemingly the most complex of any expansion, and so must be explored firsthand.

The only keyed zone is Vex Thal which is Luclin's endgame, and the quest for the key takes one all over Luclin and requires a kill of Emporer Ssraezsha, which event is itself keyed and against whom Shissar Bane Weapons are needed. Many other boss encounters on Luclin require individual keys, and the endgame encounter with Lord Inquisitor Seru involves a difficult quest for the Arx Key as well as Seru Bane Weapons for melee. The watchword for Luclin key quests is time sink.
It is worth noting the existance of the Twilight Sea armor quests, if for no other reason than to note that they explain some of the unique and otherwise inexplicable drops which come from minor named in this expansion. These quests are approximately equal to the Sol Temple armor quests in the Old World, with major pieces being slightly better and minor pieces being slightly worse. However, in most cases the kills needed to complete the quest are much harder for the Luclin quest than its equivalent in the Old World.

II.5. Planes of Power is "Planar" in nature and is aimed at high-level players; to enter the Plane of Tranquility one must be 46+. The division of the Planes is in simple tiers: Plane of Time, the Endgame; the Elemental Planes below it; the Third Tier, Bastion of Thunder, Halls of Honor, and Plane of Tactics; the Second Tier, Plane of Storms and Plane of Valor, and the Crypt of Decay; and the First Tier, lowest of all, Plane of Justice and Plane of Disease, Plane of Torment, Plane of Nightmares. A player must complete one Tier to move onto the next one, although several zones in Tiers 2 and 3 are now for free at levels 55 and 62 respectively. This process is known as Planar Advancement.
Plane of Knowledge stands alone; Plane of Tranquility and provides portals to most of these except for a few "B" areas. A contrast between Planes of Power and the expansions which came before is the existence of Graveyards. When a character is killed in a zone, his corpse remains where it was for 15 or 30 minutes, and is then moved to the Graveyard, which is almost always near the front of the zone, to make recovering corpses from these high level zones faster and safer.
There are two standard armor types in Planes of Power: Ornate Armor and Elemental Armor, so-called from the planar Molds and Patterns by which the quests are completed, and which drop from bosses and "minis" in Tiers 3 and 4 respectively.

II.5.1. I do not here deal with the "Muramite" expansions, Gates of Discord and Omens of War. Gates of Discord, to the best of my knowledge, is linear in the same sense that Velious is, and is designed for Elemental and Plane of Time-capable PCs; its entrance zone, Natimbi, may be reached by use of the Magi at the Wayfarer Camps, c.f. Section IV in Part II. Omens of War has not been released at this writing.
This ends Part I.

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

The Complete Wayfarer's Guide, Part II
Part II:
III. Plane of Knowledge and the Nexus Complex.
III.1. Plane of Knowledge
III.2. The Nexus Complex
IV. Wayfarer Camps
V. 'Ports
VI. Boats
VII. Travel Buffs, etc.
VIII. Afterwords


0. Introduction.
EverQuest is a vast game, and it keeps getting bigger - each expansion brings new zones to explore, new places to go and new things to see - not to mention new things to kill and new stuff to take. Even between expansions, only a priveleged few have learned the game well enough to get to and master the out-of-the-way endgame zones. Sleeper's Tomb requires a drop from named, Velious dragons; Vex Thal requires spending time in ten different zones on Luclin; reaching the Plane of Time requires having gone through virtually all of Planes of Power.
My ambition with this paper is to lay out the geography of EverQuest in the most intuitive manner possible. Those who have been playing for awhile, who have many characters of higher or lower level, and have a lot of play time, will know how to get around. This guide is for all those who have had the experience of being invited somewhere by a friend and been forced to decline; for everyone who has died on his way to a raid; or experienced any of the many pitfalls that can befall the solo traveller in EverQuest.

The aphorisms of Part I of this Wayfarer's Guide are for the new and inexperienced player cover what a player needs to get from Here to There with a minimum of fuss. For the most part, it covers travel in expansions up to Planes of Power. The tables and charts in Part II form an easy reference to all the various modes of transportation. Taken together they form a nearly complete picture of the way EverQuest's geography is "put together."

III. PoK and the Nexus Complex.
Plane of Knowledge and the Nexus are connected by a Stone and Book, and between them form the largest contiguous "city-block" in EverQuest. Here you will find: The Nexus, a zone connected to Wizard Spires in the EverQuest Trilogy, the Bazaar, where players in automatic "trader" mode sell goods; Shadow Haven, a large city with many tradeskill vendors; and Plane of Knowledge itself, the largest and best-stocked city in all of EverQuest and the modern social center of the game.

.

III. 1. Plane of Knowledge. This is the hub, the one stop travel shop, and every Norrathian needs to be familiar with it. You fill find portals here to and from every starting city, plus the Nexus, Plane of Tranquility and the Gulf of Gunthak, making a huge part of the game accessible within a zone or two. Also a trainer or two for every class and a large selection of spells in the library. Add many basic and planar tradeskill vendors and we have the indubitable social center of EverQuest.
Here is given a list of the Stones, the part of PoK they are found in, and what continent or expansion they will take you to. Each of these zones includes a Book to return to PoK.



Stone:
Section of PoK:
Continent:
Notes:

The Gulf of Gunthak Evil Broken Skull Rock Entrance to LoY

Plane of Tranquility Neutral Planes of Power Entrance to PoP

Shar Vahl Neutral Luclin to Shadeweaver
The Nexus Neutral Luclin

The Great Divide Neutral Velious

Cabilis Evil Kunark to Field of Bone
The Overthere Evil Kunark "Evil" Entrance
Firiona Vie Good Kunark "Good" Entrance

Paineel Evil Odus Toxxulia Forest
Erudin Good Odus Toxxulia Forest

Freeport Neutral Antonica to West Freeport
Neriak Evil Antonica to Nektulos
Rivervale Good Antonica to Misty Thicket
Qeynos Neutral Antonica
Halas Good Antonica to EverFrost Peaks
Grobb (Gukta) Evil Antonica to Innothule
Oggok Evil Antonica to the Feerrott

Kaladim Good Faydwer to Butcherblock
Felwithe Good Faydwer to Greater Faydark
Kelethin Good Faydwer to Greater Faydark
Ak`Anon Neutral Faydwer to Steamfont



III. 2. The Nexus Complex. The Nexus complex was the first attempt to make travelling around Norrath easier for those who didn't have a pocket Druid or Wizard. It connects to Wizard Spires on each of the continents of the EverQuest Trilogy, plus Plane of Knowledge. The Nexus is itself a part of Luclin. Each teleport pad is marked by a named "Scion," e.g. Antonica Scion, Faydwer Scion, etc. Stand on the appropriate teleport pad until the "magic voice" announces that the portals are about to activate.
Zone:

Continent:
Quarter:

Toxxulia Forest Odus East
North Karana Antonica West
Greater Faydark
Faydwer North
The Dreadlands
Kunark South
The Great Divide Velious Easr
Plane of Knowledge (book) Planes South


The Nexus also connects to the Bazaar, Shadow Haven and the Netherbian Lair on Luclin.


IV. The Wayfarer Camps.
The Wayfarer camps are associated with the Lost Dungeons of Norrath expansion. Each feature a Magus who will teleport you to any other Magus, and a Soulbinder - this is one of the few ways, recently introduced, for melee classes to bind outside cities, and the opportunity should be taken while you are doing LDoN adventures. Wayfarer Camps are located in the following zones:


North Ro
East Commonlands
South Ro

Nedaria's Landing
Butcherblock Mountains
Natimbi


EverFrost Peaks

The Wayfarer Camps are where LDoN adventures are gained, and where LDoN points are spent. Each camp represents a particular Theme. In order to initiate an Adventure in any particular Theme, you would go to the Wayfarer Camp associated with the Theme and talk to the Adventure Recruiter there. Adventures can be Rescues, Collects, Assassinations, or Slaughters, the depending on the condition of success.
The entrance to the adventure may be several zones away, as indicated by the table below. When you reach the Entrance Zone, a blue line will appear showing how to get to the Adventure itself. Upon completion of the Adventure, Adventure Points are gained, which can then be spent at an Adventure Merchant back at the camp for unique equipment, spells and augments.
Zone: Theme: Continent: Entrance:
North Ro

Takish`hiz
Antonica
Oasis of Marr

East Commonlands
Rujarkian Hills
Antonica
North Ro or Oasis of Marr

South Ro
Deepest Guk
Antonica
Upper Guk

Butcherblock Mountains
Mistmoore Catecombs
Faydwer
Lesser Faydark

EverFrost Peaks
Miragul's Menagerie
Antonica
EverFrost Peaks



V. 'Ports.
Wizards and Druids are able to teleport to most anywhere one would like to go. The trouble is, most people do not know where Druids and Wizards are able to port to, and some people aren't aware that there are places Wizards can go that Druids can't and vice versa. Wizards are capable of Translocation, or teleporting others without going themselves; Druids must group to take another player.
Wizards:
North Ro

West Commonlands
South Ro
North Karana
Toxxulia Forest

Iceclad Ocean
East Wastes
Greater Faydark
Great Divide
Cobalt Scar

Plane of Knowledge
The Wakening Lands
The Dreadlands
The Nexus
Plane of Tranquility



In addition, wizards can teleport to the Planes of Hate and Sky.
Druids:
Surefall Glade

North Karana
West Commonlands
Butcherblock
Emerald Jungle

Toxxulia Forest
Greater Faydark
The Dreadlands
Grimling Forest
Twilight Sea

Plane of Knowledge
Natimbi
Dawnshroud Peaks
The Wakening Lands
Great Divide

East Wastes
Iceclad Ocean
Cobalt Scar



VI. Boats.
The boats were the original way of traversing the continents of Norrath; if you didn't have a wizard or druid, this was how you got around. Now, however, the boats are rarely used; in their place are Translocator gnomes from the Arcane Scientists, who stand on the docks and transport to the same places the boats go. The connections are as follows:
West Freeport <-> Ocean of Tears Ocean of Tears <-> Butcherblock


Butcherblock <-> Timorous Deep
Oasis of Marr <-> Timorous Deep

The Overthere <-> Timorous Deep
North Ro <-> Iceclad Ocean



(Note that the zone from Stonebrunt Mountains to Gulf of Gunthak is represented as a "boat" but is actually a clickable zone.)

VII. Invisibility, Spirit of Wolf and Other Travel Buffs - with Comments on Begging.
For those classes which do not get helpful travel abilities, there are a few options. One option is to buy potions, either from vendors or other players. Potion vendors carry Invisibility potions, and player Shamans can make Spirit of Wolf and Invisibility to Undead potions, all of which make travel much safer and simpler.
There are many ways of using Gate and Bind Affinity to simplify travel for casting classes; it is possibly an interesting enough subject to prompt a guide of its own. The only general rule is "bind as close as safely possible to where you are fighting." For melee this will usually mean the nearest city zone or Wayfarer Camp, for casters the Bind may and should be much closer to the action.
For those who can afford them, both vendors and shamans can sell you gate potions, which are capital-H-Handy for non-Gating classes; higher level characters have the option of the Clockwork Talisman series of quests in Planes of Power. Chipped Bone Rods, which are sold at Potion Vendors and have three charges of Locate Corpse, are useful if you have died while travelling in an unfamiliar zone.
The first and foremost method, however, is to ask for them in Plane of Knowledge using the public channels. This is reasonable, as most travel-friendly buffs have a trivial cost, especially SoW and Invisibility. Some people will not go anywhere without Virtue and KEI, and these people usually are willing to pay for the higher-level buffs.
Please use restraint when begging for buffs.

VIII. Afterwords.
This concludes the Wayfarer's Guide - if it has given you a better view of the world of Norrath and its interconnected adventure zones, I will think my work to have been well done and my time to have been well spent. Thank you for reading all the way down to the very...
last...

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

Wayfarer's Guide to Norrath: Part III
The Continent of Faydwer
I. Introduction.
II. Travel Across Faydwer
III. Dungeons of Faydwer
IV. Cities of Faydwer
V. Afterwords.


I. Introduction.

EverQuest is a vast game, and it keeps getting bigger - each expansion brings new zones to explore, new places to go and new things to see - not to mention new things to kill and new stuff to take. Even between expansions, only a priveleged few have learned the game well enough to get to and master the out-of-the-way endgame zones. Sleeper's Tomb requires a drop from named, Velious dragons; Vex Thal requires spending time in ten different zones on Luclin; reaching the Plane of Time requires having gone through virtually all of Planes of Power.
My ambition with this paper is to lay out the geography of EverQuest in the most intuitive manner possible. Those who have been playing for awhile, who have many characters of higher or lower level, and have a lot of play time, will know how to get around. This guide is for all those who have had the experience of being invited somewhere by a friend and been forced to decline; for everyone who has died on his way to a raid; or experienced any of the many pitfalls that can befall the solo traveller in EverQuest.
Faydwer is the Easternmost continent in EverQuest. It is made up largely of the old-growth forests which make up the Faydark. The Southern parts of the continent contain the Steamfont mountains on the one hand, and Dagnor's cauldron on the other.
The Butcherblock mountains, just North of Dagnor's cauldron and West of the Greater Faydark, connects with the Timorous Deep as an access to the jungle continent Kunark, and also with Freeport by way of the Ocean of Tears, a shipping rout between a number of smaller islands.

II. Travel Across Faydwer.

II.1. I will begin this Part III of the Wayfarers Guide by describing the Ocean of Tears as the "doorway" to Faydwer. Its dock on the route from Freeport to Butcherblock is called Sister Island and is home to the Sisters of Erollisi , a group of female cultists of Erollisi Marr, Goddess of Love noted for the fact of their wearing Purity Belts. Across from Sister Island is Brother Island, which is only remarkable for housing the dock for the route from Butcherblock to Freeport.
Of special note in the Ocean of Tears are the Oracle island and the Oracle of K`arnon and his two Guardians, whose Oracle Robe is a classic in Old World style; the Cyclops island, a source of gems for the needy, and of the Ancient Cyclops which carries the Ring of the Ancients; Sister and Brother Islands, mentioned above; the mermaid island and a few others, of lesser and greater importance.

II.2. Butcherblock mountains is where the boat from Freeport on Antonica, or Timorous Deep on Kunark, drops you off. It can be difficult to navigate this zone without a map, as it takes the form of a maze due to its peaks and valleys. It is populated mostly by dwarves defending their home city of Kaladim, which is hewn into a Northern mountain; there a few small goblin camps scattered through the area. To the South is Dagnor's Cauldron; to the East is the Greater Faydark forest, and Kelethin, home of the wood elves. There is a Wayfarer's Camp here, which will give adventurers missions into the Mistmoore Catacombs, accessed through the Lesser Faydark.
The Kaladim Book in Plane of Knowledge connects to this zone.

II.3.Dagnor's Cauldron is a massive crater, blasted nobody-knows how long ago. This crater has long since filled, except for a small mountain in the center, with rainwater. It evidentally was once was the home of a sentient underwater race called the Kedge, the only remnant of which is Phinegal Autropos, a Kedge wizard who lives in Kedge Keep below the crater's waterline. Investigating Kedge Keep requires Enduring Breath, and is really appropriate for PCs around level 40-55.
The denizens of Dagnor's Cauldron itself are mostly unassuming aqua goblins, whose only real interest is as fodder for fledgling adventurers, and a few undead who have wandered away from the Estate. Else there are very few creatures here who represent a real threat to anyone. The Estate of Unrest, on the south edge of the zone, is overrun with common ghouls, zombies and skeletons.

II.4. Greater Faydark forest is to the East of the Butcherblock mountains, at the center of which is Kelethin, tree city of the Wood elves, whose druids, rangers and rogues are legendary, along with its tailors. This borders on its East side with Felwithe, home of the cosmopolite and magical High Elves. There are wizard spires here, forming a link with the continent and the moon, Luclin. Both the Kelethin and Felwithe books also connect with this zone.

II.5. Lesser Faydark is to the South of the Greater Faydark, towards the edge of the continent. Flora and fauna is sparser here. Lesser Faydark is home to only a few species of creature, including a tribe of Brownies in the north-western corner; in the South edge of the Lesser Faydark is Castle Mistmoore, once-home of the legendary vampire Mayong Mistmoore, and recently expanded by a number of Catacombs. There is otherwise little of real interest in this zone.

II.6. The Steamfont mountains are connected to the Lesser Faydark, and are the home of the industrial, industrius and inventive Gnomes and their clockwork city, Ak`anon - to see it, one would think that every gnome had been taught mechanics at a very early age, which is of course true. The penchant of the gnomes for inventions, particularly of clockwork and steam, is well known; and the Steamfont mountains are teeming with runaway clockworks modelled on spiders, rats and on gnomes themselves. That they also have very great masters of magic would make them dangerous foes indeed. The Ak`Anon book in the Plane of Knowledge connects this area with the Planes.

The Steamfont is dotted with windmills, which can be started and stopped by adventurers passing through. As in the Butcherblocks, there are scattered camps of goblins, kept in check by gnomish patrols from Ak`anon. There are also the minotaur caves; the minotaurs here carry Minotaur axes, a fine weapon for the beginner, and the caves are known to be the home of the Minotaur hero, a wanted fugitive of Qeynos.

III. The Dungeons of Faydwer.
I have glossed over some of the dungeons of Faydwer above; in this section I will go over them in greater detail, one at a time. The dungeons are: the Estate of Unrest, Kedge Keep, Mistmoore Castle and Crushbone, the orc citadel. I do not deal specifically with the Lost Dungeons here, but to not seem remiss I will restate that the lost Mistmoore Catacombs may be accessed by way of the Wayfarer's Camps.

III.1.The Estate of Unrest is an "outdoor dungeon," consisting of the Estate itself and its grounds, which includes a pond and hedge-maze. It has been completely overrun by the shambling undead - zombies, ghouls, and skeletons are the order of the day here, a perfect training grounds for the zealous cleric or paladin. Only a few drops, like the Bloodstained Mantle and Dwarven Work Boots are worth noting even for new adventurers, although most mobs drop quest items of one sort or another. There is little here for an adventurer above level 25.

III.2. Kedge Keep is a castle underneath Dagnor's Cauldron, filled with aquatic life. Some of the more interesting are the swordfish and the seahorses; although it is rare that you see adventurers here just for the experience. Fighting for experience points here - or doing anything else - absolutely requires Enduring Breath of one sort or another, and is really good only for a certain range of levels, 40-55 or so. Estrella of Gloomwater is a major target here, but in all honesty Phinegal Autropos himself is the main site, for there are many people for whom he is an Epic attraction. He is guarded by four very angry seahorses, the Swirlspine Guardians, which can drop the Swirlspine Belt. There is very little else that drops here which would be of interest to the modern adventurer of the appropriate level.

III.3. Crushbone is the home of the Crushbone orcs, led by Emporer Crush and his grand vizier, the Tier`dal Ambassador D`vinn. Disorganized and technologically backwards, the orcs stand no real chance of ever invading the Faydark generally, although they make constant small raids and excursions against the wood elves of Kelethin, who return the favor. There are few items to really look forward to in this area, the Dwarven Ringmail Tunic and Screaming Mace being possible exceptions. Crushbone citadel proper is in the middle of the grounds and surrounded by a moat, and this is where Emporer Crush and his small retinue of Legionairres reside. Killing orcs tends to earn the gratitude of the High Elves and Wood elves, and to lower it with the Indigo Brotherhood. This area is only of interest to new adventurers.

III.4. Castle Mistmoore is a large manse on a dark hill, guarded by dark elven thralls; decorated thralls are issued the Crested Mistmoore Shield, Crested Helm and Crested Spaulders. Although Mayong Mistmoore has not been seen in centuries, the cult he formed around himself thrives to this day. The mansion has its own undead servants and entertainers, not to mention magical guards such as gargoyles and the occasional troll. Many of the items which drop here are for quests around Norrath; a few, such as the Gypsy Lute are directly usable. The League of Antonican Bards are made happy by killing here, as is King Tearis Thex.
The Ring of Scale - Kunark dragons - appear to have some vested interest in keeping the cult of Mayong Mistmoore alive and active, but to what purpose is unknown.

IV. The Cities of Faydwer.
The four races of Faydwer are generally good-natured demi-humans - the dwarves, gnomes, wood elves and high elves. Their cities, while close in proximity, are absolutely diverse in style; there is very little comparison between the mechanized clockwork city of the gnomes and the tree-dwelling and naturalistic 'architecture' of the wood elves and despite this, apart from the classical antagonism between the dwarves and elves, the races get along very well together.
All cities have tradeskill and basic vendors; depending on the specialities of the different races (tailoring for the wood elves, smithing for the dwarves, tinkering for the gnomes, magic for the high elves) you will find these vendors in greater and lesser supply in their respective cities. The same applies to class trainers: each city will have trainers for each class which that race is capable of producing.

IV.1. Kaladim, the dwarven city, is under the Butcherblock mountains, hewn out of the rock itself, apparently in the act of mining, which is of course the main pre-occupation of the dwarves. Apart from this, the dwarves are well known for their brewing, drinking, smithing and fighting. The proof of this is in the Double Brewed Double Stout Dwarven Ale, which recipe is du rigeur in modern Norrath for all brewers, dwarven and otherwise. Although in recent years the other races have somewhat caught up to the dwarves in their smithing techniques, the dwarven Warriors can still go blow-for-blow with creatures fifty times their height.
The dwarves worship Brell Serillis of the Underfoot, Norrath's patron deity of all miners and earth-working races; they share this in common not only with the gnomes of Ak`anon, but with certain races of kobold, goblin and gnoll, as well as with the Halflings of Antonica. It goes without saying that they do not like to be reminded of this fact.

IV.2. Kelethin is at the heart of the Greater Faydark. It consists of giant platforms among the giant trees, connected to each other by a series of suspension bridges, and to the ground by two elevators. The wood elves have excellent tailors, and are well known for their druids, rangers and rogues. They are also known for having a slight case of xenophobia, and do not take to strangers easily. The wood elves worship Tunare - nature - almost exclusively, although some of their number have chosen Karana, the Stormlord, as their patron. In either case, they prefer to stay as close to the nature they know as possible, and with the exception of their best adventurers, avoid underground areas, which anyway are not amenable to the spells of their Druids.

IV.3. Felwithe is the home of the high elves, who along with the much shorter-lived Erudites on Odus, are among the most strongly magical creatures on Norrath - their magical guild takes a whole section of their city on its own. And the high elves are generally extremely intelligent, and as a result of this exremely arrogant. The rest of the city is filled with the products of the elves, including high-quality armor and general supplies.
The high elves get along fairly well with the other races on Norrath, despite their noted arrogance. However, they absolutely detest the Tier`Dal, or Dark elves of Antonica, which race began with the corruption of the first High Elven King and Queen by Innoruuk. That the dark elves really are quite evil, and are just as magically gifted as their high elven counterparts, only drives the rivalry and hatred between the two races further home. Also, they are not fond of necromancy generally - Shadow Knights and Necromancers should not regard themselves as welcome here, but that holds for most places on Faydwer.

IV.4.Ak`anon, the gnomish city under the Steamfont mountains, is a marvel of technology unmatched in Norrath; its only possible comparison is with the Plane of Innovation. It is, in fact, to civic design what the Plane of Innovation is to weaponry. The Guide series of robotic escorts can take you to any place within the city you may wish to go simply for the asking; the vendors and bankers, cleaning robots and many other things have been automated in clockwork and steam by the gnomes, giving them more leisure time, which in turn allows them more time to invent and build new clockworks...

Ak`anon is also the home of the only Necromantic guild in all of Faydwer, the Mines of Malfunction. This is where gnomish Shadow Knights and Necromancers learn their dark spells and skills, hidden deep within the city.

V. Afterwords.
This ends the third part of the Wayfarer's Guide to Norrath, a continuation of the series. Part I featured general helps to navigation around Norrath. Part II contained tabular data on all of the various modes of transportation. Parts III, IV, V, and VI will feature in-depth looks at the various continents of the Old World. These will follow shortly after this one, patterned upon the same mold. Thank you once again for reading!

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

Wayfarer's Guide to Norrath: Part IV
The Continent of Odus
I. Introduction.
II. Travel Across Odus
III. Dungeons of Odus
IV. Cities of Odus
V. Afterwords.

I. Introduction.

EverQuest is a vast game, and it keeps getting bigger - each expansion brings new zones to explore, new places to go and new things to see - not to mention new things to kill and new stuff to take. Even between expansions, only a priveleged few have learned the game well enough to get to and master the out-of-the-way endgame zones. Sleeper's Tomb requires a drop from named, Velious dragons; Vex Thal requires spending time in ten different zones on Luclin; reaching the Plane of Time requires having gone through virtually all of Planes of Power.
My ambition with this paper is to lay out the geography of EverQuest in the most intuitive manner possible. Those who have been playing for awhile, who have many characters of higher or lower level, and have a lot of play time, will know how to get around. This guide is for all those who have had the experience of being invited somewhere by a friend and been forced to decline; for everyone who has died on his way to a raid; or experienced any of the many pitfalls that can befall the solo traveller in EverQuest.
Odus is the Westmost continent in the Old World, and is the home of the dark-skinned and high-domed Erudite race. The Erudites, in turn, hold the balance between the Kobolds of Clan Kolbok, the Kerran cat-people of Kerra Isle and their mystical cousins the Kejekans, in Stonebrunt Mountains. Offshore from the Stonebrunt mountains, separated from the mainland by a misty and turbulent sea, is the pirate haven called Broken Skull Rock.

The Erudites are the decendants of the human Erud, whose exodus from Qeynos to the island-continent is legendary. In time, the city of Erudin grew into an ivory and marble utopia of learning, as well as a profitable seaport. As the power of the High Council of Erudin grew, however, its moral laws became more and more restrictive. This did not sit well with the group of Erudites called "Heretics," whose researches into Necromancy - learned at the feet of the Dark Elves of Antonica - were necessarily placed into the shadow. Eventually the so-called Heretics were exiled into the continent's central forest, Toxxulia, where they practiced in secret for years.
Eventually, the Heretics came to found the dark city of Paineel, whose architecture is itself based upon their necromantic learning. Though the invention of necromancy is to this day attributed to the Dark Elves of Neriak, it is undoubtedly the Erudite Heretics, led by the great Miragul, who perfected the art. The story of Miragul is by now well-known lore - how he attempted to become a lich and failed, and how his soul was bound to the phylactery he made for himself.
Tensions of this kind could not last, of course; and eventually the Erudites descended into civil war. The end result of this was a magical event which blasted a gigantic crater into the middle of the continent, destroying Paineel as it then existed and opening a rift into the Plane of Underfoot. The Heretic hero, Riddosan, is thought to have been the one to have closed the breach, hurling his body into the rift between the planes and closing it behind him. His end is unknown, but was probably neither long nor pleasant.
This crater, filled with elementals trapped on the Norrathian side of the planar rift, is known now as the Hole. A secondary effect of this explosion was the magical displacement of certain of the race of Kerrans to the moon, Luclin; this offshoot of the Kerrans eventually developed a complex civic society on Luclin's Night Side, and is now known as the Vah Shir.

II. Travel Across Odus.
The continent of Odus lies across the Western Antonican sea - the boat from Qeynos to Erudin does a brisk trade across Erud's Crossing, the straight between Antonica and the island of the Erudites. Erud's Crossing contains only a single island, referred to as wisp island. This island is populated mostly by natural creatures - spiders, bugs and snakes - although trade in will-o'-wisp lightstones is made by a few fortune hunters.
The ship from Qeynos, Maiden's Voyage, docks in Erudin; this is the only non-magical entrance to the continent. So long as your faction with the guards here is better than Dubious, you should be able to run through Erudin to Toxxulia Forest unchecked. Erudin Palace, the Ivory Tower of the Erudites, is generally off-limits except to the Erudite loyalists and their select allies; it is here that the Erudite magical guilds practice their respective skills and train their apprentices.
Exiting Erudin to the South one finds the real center of Odus, Toxxulia Forest. Infamously gloomy, Toxxulia is home to a variety of lesser wildlife, including snakes, firebeetles and spiderlings - not to mention numberless abandoned Heretic pets. It is bisected by a river running East - West, following this to its source and crossing leads to Kerra Isle. Across this river a bridge has been built. There is a druid ring nearby this; crossing over from the North side to the South side, however, puts one into Heretic territory. At the southern edge of Toxxulia is Paineel, the Heretic city. A stone's throw from here to the East, one finds a set of Combine Wizard Spires, allowing travel between the continent and Luclin. To the west one finds the Book to the Plane of Knowledge. A second Book may also be found to the East of Erudin.

Paineel is the city of the Heretics; its true entrance is completely closed off from outsiders by an elevator which descends into the rock itself. From outside of Paineel, one must walk along the outer edge of the awesome Hole; care must be taken here, as falling leads to inevitable death.
One can follow this walkway along the edge of the Hole to the Paineel yard, and from here down a flight of steps to the entrance of the Warrens. Continuing down the passageway a bit, one comes to the true entrance of the Hole. It appears to have been closed off by a rockslide; however, the Key to the Hole can be bought for 100pp by anyone who has gained the respect and trust of the necromantic city, and with this key the rocks will open like a bandit's cavern.

The Warrens are home to a den of kobolds called Clan Kolbok, who worship Rallos Zek under the name Rolfron Zek - the Forlorn. In entering the Warrens, proceed to the left and down, continue past the throne room and the cave bat lord's hill and you will come upon the entrance to the
Stonebrunt Mountains.

The kobolds here, who control a certain part of the Stonebrunts as well as the whole of the Warrens, are somewhat more hardy than their indoor kin, making their lives hunting the giant snakes and big cats who make the mountains their own home. They are in constant battle with the Kejekans, mystical white cousins of the Kerran cat people who have founded a mountaintop village here, and with the Heretics of Paineel, who also make regular excursions into the mountains. Legends of Titanic animals - gorillas, snakes and cats - abound among the Kejekans, and both the Erudites and Heretics understand the implications of the existance of such animals. The mountains, becoming cliffs, are bounded on one side by the sea. Across this sea, accessed by supply boat, lies Broken Skull Rock.

III. The Dungeons of Odus.
III.1. Kerra Isle is the home of the cat-like Kerrans, a savage matriarchal society led by Priestess Mitty. The Kerran society is tribal and slightly xenophobic, especially towards the Erudites and Heretics, whose civil war has always tangentally -and negatively - involved the Kerrans. This has always resulted in calamity for the cat-people. This is a younger dungeon - the Kerrans here are about as powerful as the kobolds of the Warrens.

III.2. The Hole, recently renamed the Ruins of Old Paineel, was blasted into existence during the Civil War between the Erudites and Heretics. The city of Old Paineel was completely destroyed; its old inhabitants now roam the blasted shops and crumbled homes in the form of ghostly Heretics. After Ridossan drove the forces of Underfoot back to their own plane and sealed the rift behind him, the ruins became quiet and dark, and the Heretics rebuilt their city along the lip of the crater. The zone is noted for its experience modifier; as an Old World dungeon it's good until level 55 in groups and to 59 solo.
The entrance to the Hole lays under a pool of water, past the entrance to the Warrens in New Paineel. A key, which may be bought at the general store in Paineel for ~100pp, is needed to open the rocks, although athletic and slim adventurers have, from time to time, managed to swim through the cracks in the rocks and thereby gain entrance for free. This is a special technique, however, which requires both a slim frame and some practice.
The entrance chamber is a hall guarded by rows of Elemental Warriors from the Plane of Underfoot; these are captained by Elemental Crusaders, who are slightly stronger than the Warriors they command. Very commonly they are carrying an Elemental Binder. Very, very rarely, any Elemental Warrior in the Hole may drop Imbued Granite Spaulders. To progress deeper requires killing the powerful Iron Guardian - he cannot be snuck past. Then the party must descend a cliffside until it reaches a point of no return, and must either jump in or leave; if it makes the leap to the Hole proper, the only means of escape are death and gating - walking out past "the drop" is not possible, and levitation does not work here.
Deeper in one encounters more elementals, as well as the ghosts of Old Paineel, condemned to haunt the place for eternity. In these passages one finds the ratmen, also, who have taken the place as their own, and some of their Constructs. Eventually, the series of defensive passageways gives way to the blasted city proper; here are buildings and stores - the marks, however decrepit, of advanced civilization. Some of the shops even have their signs, which hang raggedly from their chains or nails; the architecture of the heretical erudites is in constant evidence. This is the place of Erudite ghosts.
Progressing through here, one comes to a ramp which descends ever deeper into the Earth; eventually, one leaves the ruins of Old Paineel behind. Through here is the old lair of the legendary elemental lord Master Yael. Master Yael has been deposed, however - in his place is The Guardian of the Seal, a massive Iron Golem whose duty is to guard the iron gate which marks the divide between Norrath and the Plane of Underfoot, and to make sure that it never opens.
The deepest part of the Hole is the Palace, which all evidence suggests is completely haunted. I do not know anyone, personally, who has ever attempted to penetrate the Palace, nor do I know what dangers or rewards to expect. I suspect that it has been taken by the most powerful of the ancient undead Erudites.

III.3. The Warrens are a network of caves, hewn into the mountain upon which Paineel lies. It is populated by a clan of kobolds, the Kolbok, whose main trade is the creation of cold iron impliments, although they must import the cold iron from EverFrost. It is unknown why the Heretics or the Erudites do not simply wipe this clan off the face of Norrath; certainly either side posesses the magical firepower to do so with little effort. One suspicion is that the usefulness of the kobolds as a common distraction outweighs the advantage that may be gained by their elimination. Both the High Guard of Erudin and the Heretics are pleased with the death of any of these kobolds, although they reproduce at such a rate that the death of one is hardly noticable. At any rate, they know better than to challenge the powerful adventurers who occasionally wander through their lair to the Stonebrunt Mountains.

This zone provides good fightin' for most characters between levels 8 and 25; the strongest kobolds - Elites, Pack Leaders and Elders - guard the King and his High Shaman, who hoard the better cold iron armor and weapons. The King and Prince hold the "Forlorn Vestments," including the Scepter of the Forlorn and Crown of the Forlorn. The kobolds are fond of exotic weapons, such as the katana, naginata, and yari; unfortunately, their metallurgy has advanced only a little past bronze. Finding a Fine Steel Katana, though it is no better a weapon than the common Fine Steel Longsword, is something of a treat, and is only to be expected from the more powerful kobolds who populate Stonebrunt. They commonly wear either Dusty Burlap or Soft Wicker armor.
The biggest anomaly of the area is the unusual Mugglewump, an enormous tadpole residing in a pool at the very floor of the Warrens. This monster is a challenge for most groups of adventurers capable of gaining experience from the fight, and he drops several interesting pieces of class-specific equipment such as the Helm of Riddossan, and the occasional Invisibility Potion. The Mugglewump is venerated by the Kolbok for its shamanic healing, and deranged and outcast kobolds can almost always be found hovering near it.

IV. The Cities of Odus.
IV.1. Erudin is the city founded by Erud when he landed on Odus; his followers, the modern denizens of the city, are called Erudites. All marble and ivory, Erudin is in all probability the greatest center of learning on Norrath, and its library is certainly second only to the Great Library in the Plane of Knowledge. Erudin is divided into two zones: Erudin, also called Erudin Exterior, and Erudin Palace, also called Erudin Interior.
If you have acceptable faction with the High Guard of Erudin, which can be raised by fighting in the Warrens, you can certainly travel freely if you avoid the Temples and the Palace. The Erudites absolutely hate Necromancy, and regard nature-based classes dubiously.
Erudin Exterior is accessed by dock from the outside, and runs essentially as though on a track. Exiting the dock, one encounters first the Port Authority and the interior water-garden tunnel, with its teleporter to the Library Square. The centerpiece here is the Library of Erudin, its exterior covered in white marble; surrounding this are the Vasty Deep Inn and BlueHawk's Pub, the Deepwater Temple, and Erudin Surplus. Following the central path to the South here leads to a blue-diamond teleporter and Toxxulia Forest.

Following the paved road to the North-East, one comes to the Water Square, a two-level fountain surmounted by another large blue-diamond teleporter, leading to Erudin Palace. Surrounding this are the Temple of Divine Life on the West and the City Armory on the East. Also here in the East, on the top level, is yet another blue-diamond teleporter, this one returning to the Erudin Dock.

IV.2. Erudin Palace, accessed by teleporter, is an indoor area. Erudin palace consists of three, more-or-less square floors, each connected by teleporters or stairways. Floor one contains nothing but a coin fountain and stairs to Floor 2. Floor 2, bisected by an artificial river, holds Sothur's Fine Gems and Vials of Vitality, the Erudin Bank and the Erudin City Office. Floor 3 of Erudin Palace is the magical center of the city, supporting the towers of the Wizards of the Crimson Hand, the Enchanter Craftkeepers, and the Magician Gatecallers. In the center of these three is another large fountain. It is from this center of power that the High Council of Erudin takes its strength.

IV.3. Paineel is the home of the outcast Erudite necromancers, called the Heretics. Although they once were forced to make their experiments in a small hut in Toxxulia Forest, the city of Paineel was established long ago; destroyed once by the magical civil war which created the Hole; and rebuilt in the side of the cliff. "New" Paineel can only be accessed by means of a keyed elevator buried in the cliff itself; to get a key for entrance, the guards in Paineel Yard must at least regard you Amiably. Then you simply inform them of your "need," and they will give you your key. In order to raise faction with the Heretics one should kill the Kolbok kobolds in the Warrens, connected to the Paineel newbie yard.
To open the elevator in the cliff, find the rock at the end of the path which winds around the Hole, and be very careful here*. There is no guard railing, and if you fall into the Hole, you will die. When you find it, hold the splintered bone key in your hand and press U (or click) to turn it. The cliff will begin to raise as the elevator does. When the door is exposed, step in and click the rock again to lower the elevator.
Paineel divides cleanly, by way of teleports, into three sections: the Stairs / Courtyard, the Square, and Downtown.
As you exit the elevator you will pass two skeletal guards - either of them can replace a lost elevator key if you tell them of your "need." After a brief hallway, you will find yourself at the top of a stairway carved to resemble a double-helix - a fitting first impression, I may say, of the Erudite Necromancers. At the bottom of the stairs, after passing another short hallway, is the door to the Courtyard.
The Courtyard feature a semi-circle of stone monuments, around which mill a number of Heretics and their allies, the gatehouse, and the Fell Blade Shadow Knight guild within. A number of skeletons guard the gatehouse and the rest of Paineel. These skeletons are completely expendable in this thoroughly necromantic city. A portal in the courtyard leads to Paineel's civic center.
On the other side is an archway of gray stone, a preview of the gothic architecture. Passing beneath it and past the Devilishly Handsome clothing store one comes to the Square; to the right are the Bank and the Pottery supply; to the left is the General Store, where you can buy the Hole key. continuing, one comes across the Pub, featuring skeletal bards, and the Necromancer guild.
Across from the General Store is a red portal to Downtown Paineel. In this are the Paineel Palace, the Library and the Tabernacle of Terror, Paineel's temple of Cazic Thule, the Faceless god of Fear. It is assumed that all Heretics venerate Cazic Thule.
* (To emphasize this point: you fall into the top of the Hole itself, where Levitate does not work. You enter somewhere above Master Yael's chamber and fall for some time - I don't know how long, you experiment. You hit the stone floor of Master Yael's old chamber at Terminal Velocity, for 20,000 points of damage. And die. Your options in between falling and splashing are these: Divine Aura / Harmshield, or /ex. While these will save you from taking damage when you hit bottom, when you land you will be alone and deep in the Hole, both literally and figuratively; hope nothing saw you on the way down. Anyway, the moral of the story is not to fall in.)

V. Afterwords.
This ends the fourth part of the Wayfarer's Guide to Norrath. Part I featured general helps to navigation around Norrath. Part II contained tabular data on all of the various modes of transportation. Part III examined Faydwer, Parts V and VI will feature in-depth looks at Antonica, a continent frankly too vast to be done justice in one part. These will follow shortly after this one, patterned upon the same mold. Thank you once again for reading!

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

The Complete Wayfarer's Guide to Norrath
Part V: Eastern Antonica
Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter II: Travel Across Eastern Antonica
Chapter III: Cities of Eastern Antonica
Chapter IV: Dungeons of Western Antonica
Chapter V: Afterwords

I: Introduction
EverQuest is a vast game, and it keeps getting bigger - each expansion brings new zones to explore, new places to go and new things to see - not to mention new things to kill and new stuff to take. Even between expansions, only a priveleged few have learned the game well enough to get to and master the out-of-the-way endgame zones. Sleeper's Tomb requires a drop from named, Velious dragons; Vex Thal requires spending time in ten different zones on Luclin; reaching the Plane of Time requires having gone through virtually all of Planes of Power.
My ambition with this paper is to lay out the geography of EverQuest in the most intuitive manner possible. Those who have been playing for awhile, who have many characters of higher or lower level, and have a lot of play time, will know how to get around. This guide is for all those who have had the experience of being invited somewhere by a friend and been forced to decline; for everyone who has died on his way to a raid; or experienced any of the many pitfalls that can befall the solo traveller in EverQuest.
I will examine Antonica in two parts; even to describe Freeport in complete detail would be an exhausting task. However, insofar as it is possible to cover the entire continent systematically, it is my goal here to do so. This Part V is a look at Eastern Antonica. Part VI will include both Southern and Western Antonica.

II: Travel Across Eastern Antonica
The 800-pound geopolitical gorilla of Eastern Antonica is undoubtedly the trade city of Freeport. This city contains the continent's only connection with Faydwer to the East, across the Ocean of Tears. Surrounding Freeport to the Northwest is the coastal Desert of Ro; on the other the pastures of the Commonlands, which extend West all the way to haunted Kithicor Forest, named for a famous ranger. To the South of the Commonlands are is Nektulos Forest, which protects Neriak, home of the Tier`dal - the indigo dark elves. These two forces engage in constant skirmishes with one another. So far Freeport's presence dominates the Commonlands, but Neriak, underground and well defended, has made Nektulos entirely its own.
The East Commonlands are home to a Wayfarer Camp, where expeditions into the Rujarkian Hills, a Lost Dungeon, may be obtained. (See Wayfarer Camps in Part II.)
To the North of Freeport and the Commonlands is the Northern Desert of Ro, whose shoreline may be followed south to the Oasis of Marr and ultimately to the South Desert of Ro; this is the way to travel to get to the Southern section of Antonica, to be described in a later guide. Beneath North Ro, it may be mentioned, is the Lost Dungeon of Takish`Hiz.
To the West of Nektulos, where the forest ends, lies Lavastorm, a black and volcanic wasteland where lava wells up in unprotected pools. The Temple of Solusek Ro, the Burning Lord, may be found here as a somewhat safe haven; the tunnels under the earth - the Sol Dungeons - are home to goblins and kobolds adapted by years of exposure to the close proximity to magma.
Under the Great Crater here is the dread red dragon Lord Nagafen; whether he is here because of the fire, or the fire is here because of him, is a matter of some debate - the stories of the sacrifice of virgins to him are legend, more metaphor than reality. The story that he desires to mate with the white dragon Lady Vox of Permafrost - an act which would create a Prismatic Dragon like Kerafyrm the Sleeper - is more likely to be true, for they are both exiles of the Ring of Scale. (See Part III, Ch. III, Mistmoore Castle.)

Kithicor forest at the West edge of the Commonlands was, many years ago, the scene of the event which has come down in legend as "Bloody Kithicor." On this one night, many years back, every living being in Kithicor forest was slain at the same moment. The attempt to invade Norrath ultimately failed, but even now the powerful undead - the clerics and knights who gave their lives repelling Innoruuk - "rise at night ready to fight," and this is not fable but well-known fact. Unless you are a particularly powerful adventurer yourself, it is best to wait until morning to travel through here. (Or follow the South zone wall - see Part I of this Wayfarer's Guide, Chapter I.1, Following the Zone Wall.)
Adjacent south of Kithicor woods is Rivervale, the halfling city, whose homes are nestled out of and into the sides of a pastoral mountain valley. This is a pleasant pastoral setting, with a pleasant pastoral tune as its constant pleasant, pastoral accompaniment. The halflings - although as upset by Iksar as anyone else - are very tolerant of outsiders. Travelling through Rivervale brings one to Misty Thicket, which is precisely what it sounds like. This is bisected by the Wall, which defends the halflings of Rivervale on the one side from the goblins of "The Liberated Citadel," so-called, of Runnyeye, on the other.
Crossing through Runnyeye brings one to the Gorge of King Xorbb, whose brown stone walls twist upon themselves in a maze, connecting at the other end with the Eastern Plains of Karana. "King Xorbb" is the beholder who nominally controls the gorge. Beholders, enormous floating eyeballs with awesome magical abilities - tend to be powerful Enchanters in addition to mean fighters, and a group of beholders do make their lair deep in the gorge. However, nobody has seen Xorbb himself in quite some time. The Gorge is otherwise home to muddites, which can be tougher than they look, and minotaurs.
At the far Western end of Kithicor forest is High Pass, a pass through the mountains and past High Hold Keep to West Karana. The Pass is home not only to human residents and the Guards of High Keep, but also to competing tribes of orcs and gnolls; the Shralok orcs can be found near the entrance to Kithicor, waiting to ambush travellers passing through, while the gnolls control the area between West Karana and High Keep. High Keep was a standard rest stop for travellers between Qeynos and Freeport, back when travel was done in any way but via the Plane of Knowledge, but nowadays only bounty hunters come to High Keep for the reward on goblin ears.

III. Cities of Eastern Antonica
III.I. Freeport ("The Land of the Free and Home of the Port") is the dominant human city of Eastern Antonica, although members of virtually every race make their home here - even Boomba the Big, an ogre, whose past is mysterious but whose dwarf pickles are tasty. Despite its cosmopolitan reputation, however, the contest for control of the city is waged by two human parties: the Knights of Truth and the Freeport Militia.
The Freeport Militia, a mercenary band hired to defend the city, dominates East and West Freeport under the leadership of Sir Lucan D`Lere; the Knights of Truth, whose temple is one of the central features of North Freeport, have a free run of that section of town and consider the Freeport Militia to be absolutely corrupt. The other factions here, such as the Coalition of Tradesfolk and the Arcane Scientists, feature in local politics essentially as pawns of these two contending forces.

III.1.1 West Freeport
It is difficult to be systematic when describing a city as vast and varied as Freeport; I will consider as though you are entering West Freeport by way of the East Commonlands. The first structure one encounters is the city's Wall, which surrounds it completely. Through the gate is a small defensive courtyard lined with a high ramp. Past this and to the right is the Freeport Barracks; to the left the ramp leading to North Freeport, which I will describe later. The Academy of Arcane Science can be found by walking due East upon entering Freeport.
Turning South along the street leads to a courtyard, within which are the Hog Caller's Inn and Gurb's Anvil, a pottery shop. To the South-East of this is the Freeport Arena and the Steel Warriors Guild; to the South-West of this is The Theater of the Tranquil and the Ashen Order, a guild of human Monks. The main entrance to North Freeport has already been noted; East Freeport may be accessed to the South of the Hog Caller or, alternately, to the South East of the Arcane Science building.

III.1.2
East Freeport is the entrance to Antonica from Faydwer, by way of the Ocean of Tears. Although something of a slum, East Freeport is the business district - where the first line of people to separate a sucker from his money may be found. The Trader's Holiday is almost a one-stop shop for tradeskill goods in Freeport, and there are many other baking and brewing and smithing vendors.
Behind Hallard's Resales, a rundown pawnshop, lies the underbelly of Freeport - follow the alley to the Eastside Inn and down the stairs to find yourself in the catacombs, where the Necromancers, Shadow Knights and Rogues have taken their residence for years.

III.1.3 North Freeport is dominated by the Knights of Truth, who are based out of the Temple of Marr. It is a farly complex zone - rather than a straightforward walkthrough, I will give some major sites of interest.
I am going to assume you are entering North Freeport from the ramp in West Freeport, near Krystin Charcoal. The building immediately in front of you when you come up the ramp is the Freeport City Hall - following the road to your right takes you to the entrance, as well as to Marsheart's Chords, the Freeport bard guild, and Groflah's Forge.
In the Eastern part of the zone, one will find the Freeport Square and many storefronts, not to mention the Freeport Vault. In the northern part of the zone, one will find the Temple of Marr, seat of power for the Paladins of Marr who oppose the Freeport Militia. Behind this, further North, is the Freeport Office of Landholders and the Hall of Truth.

III.2 Neriak is the underground city of the Tier`dal, the "dark elves" of Antonica. It is divided into three sections - the Neriak Foreign Quarter, where non-dark elves, including the recently disposessed trolls of Grobb nee' Gukta; the Commons, or business district, where the bank, guild-halls and many shops and businesses can be found; and the Third Gate, exclusive residence of Neriak's elite class, the Necromancers of "the Dead."
Neriak's politics are insidious; the King and Queen appear to be, actually, in direct conflict and competition with each other, although the "warfare" between them is of a very subtle and political nature. Here, it is those magic users who study skills other than Necromancy - Enchanting, Channelling and Summoning - are the underdog class, for Necromancy is the original Dark Elven art form.

III.3 Rivervale is the largest halfling community on Norrath, although it is small compared to Freeport or Qeynos. It is cut into a valley to the South of Kithicor Forest. Small wood-and-grass huts have been erected, homes have been dug out of the side of the valley pass. The halflings will sell trinkets to most anyone but necromancers and Iksar. The most prominent building here is the Rivervale mayor's office, which, incidentally, also houses the bank.
Passing through Rivervale is usually not a problem except for Iksar, Shadow Knights and Necromancers. Even then, SKs and Necros can usually make it through without invis, provided they aren't Iksar. The clerics and paladins will kill SKs and Necros on sight, however.

III.4 High Keep is a fortified human settlement midway between Freeport and Qeynos, in High Pass. The Guards here, although human and allied with Freeport, are not with the Freeport Militia. High Keep is very homey once you have made your way past its heavily fortified gates; nobles make their homes here, away from the constant political strife of Freeport and Qeynos, and close to the gambling tables.
Unless you have particular business here there is not much of interest apart from a few general stores; Enchanters may want to note that their pet spells are sold here. However, the basement has been overrun by goblins from the Pickclaw clan. As mentioned above, this is one of the few reasons for an adventurer to come here and stick around.

III.5. The Temple of Solusek Ro is carved, like Sol Dungeon and Nagafen's Lair, into the side of the Great Solusek Crater in Lavastorm. This is exclusively a quest zone; many if not most classes have class-defining quests here, including the Shadow Knight Darkforge Armor, the Magician Focus items, the Wizard Staff of Temperate Flux, the Cleric Armor of the Penitent, and many, many others. The quests given here tend to be localized within the three continents of the Old World.

IV. Dungeons of Eastern Antonica
Befallen is an ancient mansion, now buried in the side of a hill along the North wall of the Commonlands. It is entirely overrun by the shambling undead, making it a great place for paladins and necromancers to hone their undead-busting skills.
Befallen is a keyed dungeon, requiring three keys in order to go as deep as possible and get out again; it is not recommended venturing past where the key to the next area drops unless you've already got it. In this context, bear in mind that skeleton Lrodd's well, on the first level, is the quickest and easiest way to the deepest part of the dungeon; however, if you fall in lacking a key, you will be stuck among relatively powerful undead with no means of escape save death or gating.

The Liberated Citadel of Runnyeye is a goblin haven, recently... um... "wracked" with political troubles, involving the invasion and usurpation of the Runnyeye goblins by Clan Pickclaw of High Keep. The metallurgy of clan Pickclaw is apparently somewhat in advance of the Clan Runnyeye, for recently the goblins and myconids have been found equipped with Blackened Alloy armor, which seems to be a replacement for the old-style Blackened Iron. The Blackened Alloy Bastard Sword is an ideal weapon for the up-and coming Knight, and the Black Alloy Medallion, worn by Lord Pickclaw himself, is an excellent necklace for casters even considering where it comes from.
The clan Pickclaw has a mercenary streak, and will trade and bank with adventurers - more often dark than not - who have not gotten on their bad side.
Runnyeye itself is best described as a "goblin warren" dug into the mountain separating Misty Thicket from the Gorge of King Xorbb. Its upper cavern system, where the whelps are allowed to play "fighting," connect easily with the Gorge. Below, the Runnyeye goblins have constructed a vast city in what looks like the ruined sewer of some prior civilization - there is some doubt that it is of goblin construction. There is also a clan of myconids (mushroom-people) who make their way here as miners.

Najena is a strange duck of a dungeon, home to a mad Teir`dal Magicianess named Najena. The dungeon - a place of jail cells and torture chambers - is home to Najena herself, her Ogre guards, and her Magician apprentices. Najena herself was apparently given the dungeon laboratory as a base of magical experiments by the Royal Family of Neriak, but very little else is known about her for certain. This is a good experience zone for characters in their high teens and low twenties.

Sol Dungeon (a) is the third major goblin lair on Antonica, the first being Runnyeye and the second High Keep. The goblins of the Sol Dungeon, which opens into the Great Crater in Lavastorm and is connected to Nagafen's Lair, make their lives in the lava tunnels, and have adapted very well to the great heat. Deeper are a group of gnomish mining engineers, called the Solusek Mining Company, and their clockworks.
Nagafen's Lair is a fiery system of lava tunnels, in the side of the Great Crater in Lavastorm mountains. Home to a tribe of Solusek kobolds, as well as to the red dragon Lord Nagafen, who is guarded by the powerful Fire Giants who worship him as a god, led by King Tranix. The kobolds have collected many interesting and moderately powerful items, the most famous of which is the Runed Mithril Bracer. The Kobold King, Priest, and Champion are the most powerful of these kobolds, and have taken many of the best magical treasures for themselves. The Guano Harvester is ... well, there is a guano harvester, and he sometimes carries a Large Soiled Bag.
The Fire Giants, into whose territory the kobolds do not tread, have their own items of interest, such as the Crown of King Tranix and Rokyl's Channelling Crystal; defeating these on the way to Nagafen may take a raid force. The dread Nagafen, of course, has amassed many, many ancient treasures; some of which, such as the Gold Plated Koshigatana, are primitive and crude by today's standards, and other of which - such as the famous Cloak of Flames, are desirable even today. Lord Nagafen will expel any PC above level 52 who gets on his hate list. See Wayfarer's Guide Part 1 ch. I.7.

V. Afterwords.
This ends Part V of the Complete Wayfarer's Guide to Norrath. Part I featured general helps to navigation around Norrath. Part II contained tabular data on all of the various modes of transportation. Part III examined Faydwer, Part IV covered Odus, and Part VI covering Western Antonica and rounding out the Old World series, will be finished and posted very soon. It is my hope that these guides allow a more complete overview of the geography of Norrath and its Environs. If these have been well recieved, guides to Kunark and Velious may follow shortly.

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

Cool guide. Thanks.

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SnuffysPaw
lvl 65 Human Monk
The Lollipop Guild

Yeah, I have to second that! I've been playing for a year, and I learned some very cool new things reading this! Thanks!!!

_________________
I'm sure I have something worthwhile to say.

Unfortunately, this post isn't it.

No shadowrest in this version...

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<img>
~ Hunter <a>Waeen Silverleaf</a>

gulf of who?

its the gulf of Cobalt Scar. where i lost my body for almost a whole week last year.

_________________
Waamblem of Sanctuary, lv 63 Ranger - I will celebrate 65 one day.
http://sanctuary.guildportal.com/
"For Honor and Valor"

Sorry about that - there are still some references to Legacy of Ykesha and LDoN (especially, about the Wayfarer Camps in part II). If I wasn't using a public computer I would have edited some of the references out, and if I have time, sometime, I may do that still

_________________
Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

Wayfarer's Guide to Kunark
I. Introduction
EverQuest is a vast game, and it keeps getting bigger - each expansion brings new zones to explore, new places to go and new things to see - not to mention new things to kill and new stuff to take. Even between expansions, only a priveleged few have learned the game well enough to get to and master the out-of-the-way endgame zones. Sleeper's Tomb requires a drop from named, Velious dragons; Vex Thal requires spending time in ten different zones on Luclin; reaching the Plane of Time requires having gone through virtually all of Planes of Power.
My ambition with this paper is to lay out the geography of EverQuest in the most intuitive manner possible. Those who have been playing for awhile, who have many characters of higher or lower level, and have a lot of play time, will know how to get around. This guide is for all those who have had the experience of being invited somewhere by a friend and been forced to decline; for everyone who has died on his way to a raid; or experienced any of the many pitfalls that can befall the solo traveller in EverQuest.
Kunark was the first continent to be discovered by explorers setting off from the NorthEastern Antonican shore. It consists, as a rule, of dense jungles and marshes; we will examine its geography in detail below. It is important to bear in mind, however, that Kunark has the most convoluted and "recursive" zone structure in all of EverQuest. Therefore, it is best to study this guide with the help of a zone connection map, such as the one below.
From the Complete Wayfarer's Guide, Part I:
Kunark the jungle continent is fairly homogenous, and can be taken as a single area. It does not subdivide into sections easily, but Cabilis forms something of a 'hub'. The other entrances to the continent are by boat, from Butcherblock to Firiona Vie ("good") and from Oasis to the Overthere ("evil"). The dungeons here are: Old Sebilis, Chardok, Karnor's Castle, Kaesora, Howling Stones, Dalnir's Crypt, Veeshan's Peak, Droga and Nurga.

Howling Stones (a.k.a. Charassis) and Sebilis both require quested keys. Veeshan's Peak was once a "Kunark level" raiding dungeon, with 32000hp bosses, but has recently been upgraded to the level of the Elemental planes; it too requires a quested key.
Kunark and the Old World are the focus of all the Kunark Class Epic and Iksar Class Epic quests, except for Beastlords (whose Class Epic extends to Luclin) and Berzerkers, whose Class Epic takes them, presumably, all over the previous expansions and into Gates of Discord. [Note: Also important is the Kunark class armor, which drops from named in high-end Kunark dungeons. Apart from the Breastplates and Greaves, this is statless and slightly higher in AC than the equivalent Thurgadin class armor, and also usually feature a minor clickable effect of some sort. There is Kunark Class Armor for Warriors, Paladins, Shadow Knights, Clerics, Druids, and Shamen.]
Faction does not play a large part in Kunark; since the entrance to Kunark for evils is through the Overthere outpost, and since the Overthere Outpost is on Venril Sathir faction, to preserve faction here it is best for evil classes and races not to fight in Kaesora, Howling Stones, or Karnor's Castle. Most will always be killed on sight by Iksar. A few interesting quests are available from the Sarnak, faction with whom can be gained by killing Kunark Goblins. Firiona Vie faction can also be had by killing Goblins.

II. History of Kunark
First, a brief history of Kunark, and how it came to be as it is today.
At first, the unquestioned rulers of the continent of Kunark were the Shissar, a race of snake-men who were, at that time, powerful masters of magic, and ruled Kunark with an iron fist. The Shissar used the Iksar lizard-men as slaves in their mines. Iksar legend says that the Shissar eventually angered their own gods, and were destroyed by a plague called the Green Mist; this event resulted in the liberation of the Iksar, who slowly began to learn the xenophobic and warlike philosophy and master the magic of their former captors.
The Iksar eventually divided into five seperate tribe-states - the Kylong, Nathsar, Obulus, Jarsath and Kunzar. These original tribes do not survive as such, but relics of their respective cultures can, to this day, be found scattered here and there across Kunark. The last of these tribes, the Kunzar, were led by Venril Sathir, then a young Necromancer-king, whose skeletal armies eventually conquered and annexed the other tribes into the Iksar empire, called the Sebilisian empire after its then-capital city. Venril Sathir waged war against the giants and goblins of the continent for years, expanding the rule of the Sebilisian empire to include nearly all of Kunark, less the volcanic Skyfire mountains.
Away from prying eyes, however, a group of outcaste dragons calling itself the Ring of Scale made their home in Veeshan's Peak, a volcanic mountain deep within the inhospitable badlands of Skyfire, and watched the proceedings of the Iksar empire with deep distrust - first of the motives of Venril Sathir, who intended to bring the whole of Kunark under his own rule. The Ring was, however, divided on how to deal with the problem of the Iksar.
One dragon, a young blue named Trakanon, argued for the swift destruction of the Iksar race to end the problem once and for all, a position the rest of the Ring of Scale opposed in favor of subtler methods of control. Trakanon and his group wouldn't be denied, however much he was opposed by the greater Ring, and he and his army waged brutal war against the Iksar capital, Cabilis. Victory against the iksar must have been swift; the few who remained were forced to retreat from their fortress.

Trakanon's opposition to the Ring of Scale earned him the reputation of a turncoat, and the Ring began to move against him, trapping him, ultimately, within the city he had captured; eventually, by an unknown process, he attained a state of putridity within the city, not quite undead. Meanwhile, the shattered Iksar empire split again, briefly, into its five original tribes, before reuniting under a descendant of Sathir's, named Ganak. The conquerors' dreams of the Iksar, and New Sebilis, were not crushed by their defeat at "Old" Sebilis, and the Iksar continue their wars of extermination against the Krom`Dek giants, and the savage Goblins of the continent for control of Kunark.
In addition to these foes of the Iksar, they have also to contend with the Sarnak, a dragon-iksar hybrid, combining what some call the worst traits of each - the lanky, serpentine frame and beak of a lava dragon, and the man-like build and primitive culture of the Iksar; a bizarre hybrid which is the result of Ganak's investigations into crossbreeding during the war between the Iksar and the Ring of Scale. We may say, then, that the story of Kunark is the story of the Iksar race, which will be convenient for our travellogue.

III. Travel Across Kunark
There are two Elven outposts on Kunark, one of the Dark Elves at the Overthere, and one at the outpost of High Elves and their allies called Firiona Vie. Both outposts are home to ports of access from the Old World and from the Plane of Knowledge; the Overthere is reached by way of a raft from the Oasis of Marr to Timorous Deep, and, by way of a burned-out shell of a ship called the "Bloated Belly," from Timorous Deep to the Overthere. The High Elven outpost at Firiona Vie may be reached by a similar process, beginning at the Butcherblock Mountains on Faydwer. Both outposts may also be reached by book from the Plane of Knowledge.
The second means of entering Kunark is by way of the Nexus, on Luclin (See The Complete Wayfarer's Guide, Pt. II). Travelling by way of the Combine Spires takes one to the Dreadlands, a badlands teeming with Drolvarg, the werewolf servants of Venril Sathir, whose stronghold, Karnor's Castle, lies in the middle of the waste. To the West of here is Firiona Vie, to the North is Burning Wood, and to the North-East is a pass to the Frontier Mountains.
The third method of entrance is by way of the Cabilis stone in Plane of Knowledge; this brings one to the Field of Bone, not far from the entrance to the city. Here, the main feature is the pit of scorpions and skeletons, walled off at the foot of Kurn's Tower. Travelling West brings one to the Emerald Jungle, the home of Severillous, a Green dragon, more powerful than Lady Vox or Lord Nagafen. Otherwise, it is infested with giant mosquitos and similar nuisances. To the south of here, through a small pass, is Trakanon's Teeth - the forest which surrounds the ruins of Old Sebilis.

Returning to Cabilis, to the Southeast of the city is the Swamp of No Hope, connected to Trakanon's Teeth by means of an underwater pass. To the South, the elven outpost of Firiona Vie. From here and returning to Cabilis, to the South East of the city is the Lake of Ill Omen, a huge grassland, in the center of which is the namesake Lake, which at one point was a du rigeur training ground for characters level 20-28 or so. There is a Sarnak fortress-outpost here, and the ruins of Veksar lie submerged under its waters. To the immediate east, again, is Firiona Vie.

IV. Cities of Kunark
There are only three cities on Kunark: Cabilis, home of the Iksar; Firiona Vie, Kunarkian home of the High Elves and the "Light Alliance;" and the Outpost at the Overthere, representing the "Dark Alliance" on Kunark.
Nobody but Iksar are welcomed at Cabilis. Dark races, and Iksar, are unwelcome at Firiona Vie; Light races, and Iksar, are unwelcome at the Overthere. It is difficult and hardly worthwhile to move any of these factions enough to "change" them; however, it is possible for the Quixotically dedicated.
IV.1.Cabilis is the home city of the Iksar race, a fortress-cavern-citadel of surprising complexity for a Shamanic culture. No race besides Iksar, generally, is welcome here; but worshippers of Cazic Thule will have an easier time than others of fitting in. The streets are paved with water, and the Iksar can - and should - become masterful swimmers at an early age. Cabilis is divided into two halves, West and East. The West half - features the Necromancer guild, a few vendors of note, and the zone to Swamp of No Hope and to the famous Lake of Ill Omen.

East Cabilis is more "downtown;" here is found, in addition to most of the city's tradeskill vendors and the Bank, the Shadow Knight, Shaman and Beastlord complex and the Monk guild, as well as the Warrior guild. New Iksar do not get "newbie quests"
Firiona Vie. This is the city of the "Light Alliance" of High and Wood Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans, Barbarians and Erudites. It has every tradeskill vendor one is likely to need, and is the entrance of the above races into Kunark. This is where players of these races can exchange Kunark spells for others that they may need, and is also the source of many quests for light races, including the Wurmslayer.
The Overthere. This is the outpost of the "Dark Alliance," led by the Dark Elves and including Ogres and Trolls. The Overthere is in every respect to Dark races and classes what Firiona Vie is to light ones.
The Overthere is also excellent hunting for characters level 17-23 or so, and then again from level 30-40 or so.

V. Dungeons of Kunark
V.1. Sebilis is the ancient capital of the Iksar empire, which was abandoned when Trakanon and his draconic forces razed it and made it their own. It has since been taken over almost completely by Kunark frogloks, under the spell of Trakanon. This is probably the second most famous dungeon in all of EverQuest, next to Lower Guk; although, like Lower Guk, it has today mostly been abandoned by adventurers. The gear which drops in Sebilis is now legendary: the Lamentation, the Siblisian Berserker Cloak, [sic]many pieces of Kuanrk class armor including the Breastplates guarded by Trakanon himself, and, most famously of all, the Fungus Covered Scale Tunic.
Sebilis is a keyed dungeon.

V.2. Karnor's Castle. Found in the middle of the Dreadlands, this is the castle of the lich-king Venril Sathir, whose ambition it is to rule Kunark once again. Under the command of the powerful necromancer is a host of ghostly and skeletal Iksar, as well as the mercenary Drolvarg werewolves. Many pieces of Kunark class armor may be found here, including the Greaves which drop from Venril himself.
Karnor's Castle is an outdoor dungeon, and the basement - which is full of undead Iksar - is a popular place to solo for Paladins with Slay Undead. The mobs here con green and light blue to sixty-five; at one point in EverQuest's evolution, Karnor's Castle was the place to be for high-end experience, and was, famously, train-tastic. This is less true today.
V.3. Chardok. The citadel of the Sarnak, Howling Stones is one of the more interesting dungeons in Kunark. It has been revamped multiple times, including the addition, at one point, of a "Chardok B," which is now gone from the live servers.
Chardok cosists of a series of cave-passages leading to a larger castle area; naturally enough, the Sarnak and their Chokidai (lizard-wolves) get harder as one progresses deeper into the zone, and the rewards become correspondingly greater. Because it has been revamped fairly recently, it is fair to say that the item-loot which drops here tends to be better than that dropped elsewhere in Kunark.
It is worth mentionig that Ally faction (See The Complete Wayfarer's Guide, Part I) with the Sarnak, obtained by killing Kunark goblins, is rewarded by several interesting and worthwhile progressive quests.
V.4. Howling Stones. Howling Stones (or Charassis) is a keyed dungeon; it is the remains of an Iksar city, and the final resting place of Drusilla Sathir, wife of the lich-King Venril. She is, of course, not quite dead. This dungeon is appropriate for characters up to level 55 in groups and level 60 solo. Most sections contain mixed live and undead mobs, so it will not be possible to invis past.
Howling stones is divided into four "wings" - the first wing is open, the other three require their own, no-rent keys to be accessed. These are progressive and drop inside Howling Stones itself.

V.5. Kaesora. The citadel of the Sarnak vampire Xalgoz, this ruined fortress has been taken over by the forces of Venril Sathir, under the command of Xalgoz himself. Apart from the Zalgozian fang, required for the Key to Charassis quest, and the ultra-common Dusty Ransacker's Pack, there is little reason to come here.
Kaesora, like many Kunark dungeons, contains mixed live and undead mobs, making Invisibility through any given part of it more or less impossible. Those who find the Key to Charassis to be a desirable object will have to clear their way down; on the upside, everyone in the group should get a Dusty Ransacker's Pack, which is a weight-reducing bag.
IV.6. Dalnir's Tomb. This is a low-level for characters in their 20s and thirties, divided into three successively-deeper floors. The monsters here are the typical Kunark mix of skeletal and ghostly Sarnak, live "gnashers," and "enthralled" humanoid creatures of various sorts, including goblins, sarnak, and PC races such as halflings and elves.
The boss of the zone is a Sarnak enchanter called "the Kly," responsible for the "enthrallment" of the various beings - not counting the undead - here. He drops a surprisingly nice head piece (and nothing else,) the Sarnak Headgear. The better loot of the zone, such as the Two Handed Practice Sword, drops from the single Lumpy Goo spawn, on the second level of the zone.
IV. 7. Kurn's Tower. This was the structure built for Venril Sathir's head torturer, Rile; it sits in the middle of the Field of Bone, immediately outside of Cabilis. Its upper levels are populated by undead Iksar; this is the place to be if, for whatever reason, you need to farm bonechips in a hurry.
Its lower levels are occupied, mainly, by Burynai necromancers and shamen. It is appropriate for very low level characters, between 10-20 or so.
IV. 8. Veeshan's Peak. This former Kunark-level raiding zone was revamped recently to the level of the Elemental Planes. Essentially, it is a large cavern complex, swimming with dragons and dragon-kin. It is known that each of the old dragons which inhabited the place now gives a quest (Hoshkar, Phara Dar, Xygoz, Silverwing, and Druushk,) with a very nice reward, and also that the front of the zone is now an experience area for high level characters.
The quest for the key has been updated as well, and requires an Elemental Boss-capable raiding force to complete.

VI. End Notes.
Thank you for reading the Supplemental Wayfarer's Guide to Kunark! Please stay tuned for the Wayfarer's Guide to Velious, which will round out and complete our coverage of the EverQuest Trilogy. The Complete Wayfarer's Guide Part I and Part II covered essential travel techniques and methods. The Complete Wayfarer's Guide Part III covered Faydwer; Part IV covered Odus; Part V and Part VI covered Eastern and South-Western Antonica. This Guide to Kunark and the forthcoming Guide to Velious round out our series on the EverQuest Trilogy.
If these are recieved well, we will finish off the series with the Wayfarer's Guides to Luclin and the Planes of Power.

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Aktolo, 13 Gnome Paladin of Al`Kabor
35 Sense Heading!~

Kaesora & Dalnir's references need to be removed.

If I figure out a nice place to put these, I'll create an area for them. But for now...stickied.

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Nikolai Lianfyrr,
Khati Sha Feral Lord.
GM Tailor (250), GM Smith (250), GM Brewer (250), GM Potter (250), GM Fisherman (200), GM Jeweler (250), Fletcher (220), Chef (200)

Huh? We have Kaesora. It's in the FoB on the way to LoIO and EJ.

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Proud member of Temerity
GM Fletcher (250) Jewel Craft (234) Brewing (226) Smithing (224 + 15%) Pottery (234) Baking (246) Pure Hell (226)
Wulfgar - Lvl 52 Barbarian Warrior, LFG in PoFire!
chown -R us ./base