The phrase "EQ2 sealed with a curse" can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the context in which it is used. Generally, EQ2 refers to the video game EverQuest II, whereas "sealed with a curse" implies something negative or unpleasant. In the context of EverQuest II, "sealed with a curse" could refer to a specific quest or storyline within the game. Many quests in EQ2 involve solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and overcoming challenges in order to progress. So, it is possible that "sealed with a curse" refers to a particularly difficult or frustrating quest within the game. This might involve facing powerful enemies, navigating treacherous dungeons, or uncovering dark secrets.

Eq2 sealed with a curse

Pretty sure they were for my Druid. Of course in EQ1 your diety could really skew your base factions here and there. My warrior was agnostic so was pretty much indifferent or apprehensive to everybody. My lil druid, ever loyal to Karana, did have a few enemies.

Besides, even formerly non agressive factions have become more hostile in the last number of years. Centaurs come immediately to mind.

With land at a premium after the world was ripped to shreds, plenty of folks probably lost their "quiet happy place" :smileytongue:

Centaurs have always randomly attacked people for no apparent reason though. They're dubious, but now and then one would be threatening for no explainable reason.

Only centaur I remember ever hearing about that was aggro was a rare spawn that wandered alone near Splitpaw. I remember camping him for a week and never saw him once. The rest never had a problem with any of my characters that ventured into the plains. I remember I often hung out around the centaurs as their villiage was a safe spot. The characters I had that spent time there were a troll warrior (agnostic), halfling druid (karana), wood elf ranger (karana), wood elf bard (bristlebane), and I think maybe a diff wood elf bard (tunare). The 2 bards were on different servers.

Of course that's just my experience, perhaps they attacked other characters for various reasons. I had a friend who was dubious to centaurs and got attacked on occasion but he had killed one or two centaurs before that started happening. There is also the possibility that the mobs were bugged, it happens, especially in EQ1.

Generally speaking though the centaurs were fairly peaceful (and made nice armor).

well for a newbs input I was wondering around and found the unkempt coven or whatever and found some dark coven witchs. i'm still exploring around a bit trying to get a feel for EQ2. In EQOA there was the surefall glade area with the unkempt woods.

Cusashorn wrote:

Centaurs have always randomly attacked people for no apparent reason though. They're dubious, but now and then one would be threatening for no explainable reason.

Again I dont know what game you played but for years on EQLive Centaurs were ALWAYS Indifferent to my Halfling Agnostic Warrior. The only time they'd attack me was if I was already fighting a centaur.

Sometimes a faction hit with "Beta Neutral" would come up but they still to this day con Indifferent. and always will.

Could be confusing things a bit here, but I do seem to recall rumors in EQ1 of yet another zone, beyond Jaggedpine Forrest, said to be the home of the Unkempt Druids, but sealed by magic or some such. Think maybe I ran across this while doing a quest for some Karana-druid only secondary slot item--quest was a pain, as it required max JPF faction to start, a few kills of rogue types that were immune to snare, ran close to sow speed, but did not summon (kited one of them all over Rathe Mountains before he finally died) then you had to kill Sir Nandruar, something in the Plane of Sky, and a Fire Giant in Naggy's lair. Also, prior to me even starting this quest, there was some kind of change between the Unkempt Druids and the Surefall Glade druids. At first, Unkempt were KOS to me--a half-elf Karana druid,--they'd aggro me in Rathe Mountains all the time. Seems like I even had a quest to kill some of them, given in Surefall Glade. And then, a few months later--maybe when I went back to get the rogue for the quest mentioned above, all of a sudden they were no longer KOS. Wasn't anything I did--I killed many of them in my younger days. Seems like maybe the faction change happened when Nedaria's Landing opened up, or thereabouts. In EQ2, the geography seems to be more than a little. confused. Surefall Glade, or what's left of it, is in Antonica, but Jagged Pine Forrest is now in Zek. Not sure where the Rathe Mountains would be. or where the Unkempt would fit in the EQ2 world. Really don't think the Dark Coven mobs are descendants of the Unkempt Druids. Just doesn't seem to fit. the Unkempt were never evil (just misunderstood)--don't see them hanging out with evil treants & such. Also, seems like Holly Windstalker would patrol up that way if they were Unkempt--she had some ties to the Unkempt in EQ1, I think.

__________________
Farghus--Level 57 Trollie Palladun. (Mees am NOT ebul!)
Kahbueme--Level 57 Warlock (sounds like Kaboom as pronounced by a waiter in a snooty French restaurant)

As I understand it, all evidence in game points to Zek being the remains of Surefall and Jaggedpine. Jaggedpine I believe is the original Unkempt Woods. The My reasoning for this is simple, take a look at these maps.

Notice that the Unkempt Wood resides north of Surefall (north of Surefall being the location of Jaggedpine) on both maps, but Jaggedpine is strangely absent.

In EQOA I don't recall any gnolls in the Unkempt north, or at least not many. In EQ1 Jaggedpine had a bit larger gnoll problem. Strangely enough, there were no Unkempt in Jaggedpine as I recall, they were all down in the Rathe Mountains.

Take a look at this entry from Illia's Everquest Bestiary: Unkempt Preserver

Notice the faction changes when killed: Unkempt Druids down, Jaggedpine Treefolk up. Why would the treefolk in Jaggedpine care about some fanatical druid faction way down in the Rathe Mountains?

Here's my best interepretation. The Unkempt are a fanatical rebel faction of druids that ultimately harm nature more then help it (compare the green lush Unkempt Woods on the EQOA map with the black plagued spot of the same name on the EQ1 map). Sometime between EQOA and EQ1, a clan of gnolls came to power in the Unkempt Woods. The siege of these gnolls along with pressure from the Surefall druids to the south, eventually started to choke the Unkempt druids out of their ancestral home.

They put up a barrier to cover their escape and retreated south across the plains to seek refuge, a new home they may call their own and go on unhindered. They ultimately found a suitable location in the Rathe Mountains. Perhaps initially assaulted by the hill giants whose territory they invaded, they soon subdued the native creatures, no doubt overpowering them with both superior combat skill and magic (remember those hill giants were weak and stupid, suffering badly from the curse of the Rathe still). The giants, still territorial, made for a natural form of protection against outsiders. This must have been seen as a plesant bonus for the hunted Druids.

When the Unkempt Woods were finally breached, the druidic barriers weakened by the passage of time, adventurers and explorers flooded in to see the lost lands. Finding the druids gone, and wanting to wash away their mark from history, the woods were renamed to Jaggedpine Forest.

As for Holly Windstalker being related to them, take a look at this entry in the Bestiary: Holly Windstalker

Seems Holly is indeed aligned with the druids of Surefall Glade, and really isn't a concern as far as the Unkempt go, I wonder if they even know who she is. Admitedly she can be somewhat overzealous at times (attacking somone for defending themselves from a rabid wolf is a bit much) but she has the best intentions at heart.

Now back to the main thread, how this all relates to EQ2. Durring the shattering the world was ripped apart and contact with the Rathe Mountains (or the remains thereof) seems to have been lost. It may be out there populated with Unkempt and who knows what else, but for now it's gone. Is it unreasonable to think that perhaps, in another act of self preservation similar to the flight from the Unkempt Woods, that a group of Unkempt ran North to the plains. Modern Antonica is likely not just the remains of Qeynos Hills, but probably a combination of Qeynos Hills and part of the western Plains of Karana. There, this splinter faction of Unkempt could have set up shop in an easily overlooked glade, nestled in the shadow of the mountain range that dominates central Antonica, hidden away from the eyes of Qeynos.

Honestly, I don't know if any of this is true, but it seems to be a reasonable and possible explination for what happened to the Unkempt druids. I could come up with other theories for the origin of the Dark Coven, but that isn't the topic here, the focus is the Unkempt. I like my theory, feel free to come up with your own :smileywink:

Message Edited by Taldor on 05-24-2005 03:38 PM

The Everling Family

NOTE: This is an idea I just had, after talking to Vhalen at the Dev Chat. I am going to attempt to pull together all the Everling Lore I can find into a portrait of the family's history. I am especially intrigued by Vhalen's comment that "The family trade may be returning to Norrath."

This page will take a genealogical approach, detailing a history of the Everlings, the members of the family, and close associates.

The Everling Saga will attempt to tell the story in a linear fashion, through the eyes of a single adventurer who has seen it all.

1. Before EverQuest II
2. Nektropos Castle
3. The Family
   1. eq2 mob:Rikantus Everling
   2. Alana Everling
   3. eq2 mob:Theeral the nomad
   4. eq2 mob:Maltus Everling
   5. eq2 mob:Ollix Everling
   6. The Six Daughters of Rikantus and Theeral
   7. Theeral Everling
   8. eq2 mob:Alexa
   1. eq2 mob:Pelleas
   2. eq2 mob:Maid Maltena

   This might involve facing powerful enemies, navigating treacherous dungeons, or uncovering dark secrets. Alternatively, "sealed with a curse" could also refer to a gameplay feature or mechanic within EQ2. It is common in many video games for certain abilities or spells to have negative consequences or drawbacks.

   Before EverQuest II

   Rikantus Everling was born and raised in Freeport, where he ran a curios shop left to him by his father. The shop was in one of the poorer sections of town, but was well known to the rich and affluent for a reputation of acquiring unusual and unique trinkets found nowhere else. [1]

   Rikantus met and wed his beloved, Alana, and they had two sons; Maltus and Ollix. We know that the sons grew to manhood there (because Ollix had a daughter, Alexa) but we do not know how old they were when they both died. An endemic of madness had afflicted Freeport, and Maltus and Ollix were both overcome by it. Rikantus had locked them up within his home for their own protection but Plimptos, a servant that had served Alana since her childhood, betrayed the family and released the brothers. Separately they both came to harm on the mean streets of Freeport and died. Rikantus could not prove Plimptos had freed the brothers, but thereafter he called him pelleas, which means whelp. [2] His beloved Alana died shortly after, of a broken heart, and all three were buried in the Everling family mausoleum in Freeport.

   Rikantus became convinced that his family was under a curse, received surely from some of the cursed objects that were his stock in trade, and poured himself into the effort to identify and break the curse. During his travels around this time he developed a relationship with The Ebon Mask, the assassins guild of Neriak. Through this association he was able to secure permission and help to build a castle in the deep recesses of Nektulos Forest which was called Nektropos Castle. It's walls were built of a magically-imbued black stone shaped by Teir'Dal masons, and the very plans for the castle were taken from a mysterious Flesh Bound Tome. In this way Rikantus hoped to build a fortress that would both protect his family from the curse, as well as protect the world from his hoard of cursed artifacts. When it was ready he even moved the remains of his family to the new crypts deep beneath the castle. [3]

   During this time, Rikantus met and married a gypsy fortune teller named Theeral. They were to have six daughters and, despite his melancholy forays down to the crypt to visit his sons and his beloved Alana, they were moderately happy, but as his daughters grew to womanhood they became exceedingly willful and convinced their father to send away the family guardians he had created to protect them. [4]

   In a single night of terror, the guardians returned and slaughtered the daughters. Rikantus again blamed Pelleas and this time he took terrible action, sealing the hapless servant into his chamber alive.

   Afterwards, Rikantus determined to find a way to travel to Ethernere itself and retrieve the souls of his daughters. To this end he studied with another seeker of dark magic, Varsoon. Together they unlocked many of the secrets of the runes of Sunder and Ethernere, but Varsoon ultimately betrayed Everling, withholding vital information and, unprepared for what would happen when he opened the gate to Ethernere, Rikanus' soul was Sundered, ripped into three parts. Two of these parts reside yet in the world of Norrath, while the third remains a prisoner in Ethernere. [5]

   

   In this case, "sealed with a curse" might mean that an ability or spell in EQ2 has a negative effect or condition associated with it. This could include reduced health, lowered defense, or other penalties. However, it is also worth noting that the interpretation of "EQ2 sealed with a curse" is not limited to the context of the game. It could also be seen as a metaphorical expression, implying that something in life or a situation is burdened or hindered by a negative force. This could be applied to various scenarios, such as a complicated relationship, a difficult project, or a challenging personal situation. In conclusion, "EQ2 sealed with a curse" can be interpreted in different ways depending on the context. Whether referring to a specific quest or storyline within the game EverQuest II, a gameplay feature or mechanic, or a metaphorical expression, it implies something negative or unpleasant that needs to be overcome..

   Reviews for "The Impact of EQ2 Sealed with a Curse on the Game's Lore"

   1. John - 2 stars - "Eq2 sealed with a curse was a disappointment for me. The game promised an exciting and immersive experience, but I found it to be quite lacking. The graphics were outdated and the gameplay was repetitive and dull. The story was also poorly executed, with weak character development and a predictable plot. Overall, I didn't find much enjoyment in playing this game and would not recommend it to others."

   2. Sarah - 1 star - "I was really looking forward to playing Eq2 sealed with a curse, but it turned out to be a complete letdown. The controls were clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through the game. The quests were also uninteresting and lacked depth, leaving me feeling bored and unengaged. Additionally, I encountered several bugs and glitches that further hindered my experience. This game fell far short of my expectations and I would not waste my time on it again."

   3. Michael - 2 stars - "Eq2 sealed with a curse had the potential to be a great game, but unfortunately, it missed the mark. The dialogue and voice acting were cheesy and cringe-worthy, making it hard to take the story seriously. The combat system was also lackluster, with repetitive attack animations and a lack of strategy. I found myself quickly losing interest and longing for a more immersive and engaging gameplay experience. Overall, this game did not live up to the hype and I was left feeling disappointed."

   4. Emily - 1 star - "Eq2 sealed with a curse was a waste of my time and money. The game was filled with microtransactions and pay-to-win elements, which completely ruined the experience for me. It felt more like a cash grab than a well-designed game. Additionally, the community was toxic and unwelcoming, making it difficult to enjoy any multiplayer aspects of the game. I regretted purchasing this game and would advise others to steer clear of it."

   Unraveling the Complex Skill Trees in EQ2 Sealed with a Curse