The Lore of Vhalen

[Ama]

<DIV>Many of us have seen his pearls of wisedom pointing us in the right direction.  Giving us cryptic clues leading us to greater understanding of something.  Even giving a small portion of information out about a little something that has been bugging us.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>However now I must pose a question that I want answered and that question is not about anything pertaining to a race of being, a mystical parchment, or even a mythical item.  My question is what lore is behind the person or being we know as Vhalen?  I remember an interesting comment saying he knew about all of Norrath and that everything had been layed before us.  How does he know this from a lore point of view?  Is Vhalen some regular person that gained an almost infinite knowledge about Norrath through some ritual or was he blessed by the gods being granted some sort of title? This title allowing him to see what was instore for all of us and the land we know as Norrath.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>*Thx for the link Troodon*</DIV> <DIV>__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Listen up kids and pass me a smore:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I appreciate the interest in my background. I can't reveal all the bits and pieces, but here is something to go on.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In the Age of Turmoil, Vhalen was a prestigious member of the League of Antonican Bards. Although never truly having a home, Vhalen frequented stages of Qeynos quite often. It was there in Qeynos that he met the woman of his dreams, the woman that would complete the sonnet of his soul. Now, I would love to tell you the tale of this romance, but we would be here all day. I would love to tell you the woman's name, but that would be revealing too much too early. What I can say is that the sonnet of love ended in tragedy. Vhalen and his love would grow farther and farther apart until one day... she vanished. Vhalen grew distraught and almost went mad. He broke ties with the League of Antonican Bards and stormed into the Plains of Karana, (no pun intended), where his insanity grew and his actions became violent and malicious. He lost all control. But he would not remain in this state of madness. The records of his temporary madness were only destroyed after he dragged his tortured soul from the pit of despair and performed many good deeds for the residents of the Plains of Karana. His selfless actions more than made up for the crimes of his madness. It was said that the harmony of the thunder storms of the plains sang to his soul. This beautiful melody of Karana cleansed his soul and madness was no more. That is why Vhalen soon made residence within the Plains of Karana. It was the place that saved him from a pit of madness. He often sat beside the well, the well where he first met his lost love. There at the well he could now safely compose poweful songs of love and soon some of the greatest of arcane sonnets, the likes of which has never been seen before. Some of his more powerful arcane melodies required the use of enormous intruments such as organs the size of temple halls and harps that rose like sails on a ship. By far his greatest spells required the bells within his bell tower, The Bell Tower of Vhalen. It was in this Bell Tower of Vhalen that Vhalen played some of the greatest arcane compositions for the defense of Qeynos during the War of Plagues. When all seemed lost and Qeynos was soon to fall, Vhalen stood alone in his Bell Tower, ringing aloud the sound of benevolence and the powerful melody of valor. He stood alone, in a tower surrounded by a sea of undead, ringing the bells that would smite the forces of the Bloodsabers and their allies. Even as the forces of evil break down his door and stabbed as his soul, he still rang the bells. Without his efforts in the War of Plagues, all would be lost and Qeynos would be no more.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Oh... one more thing. About that woman he loved. At some point he learned that his temporary madness was not the result of a broken heart, but a soul driven mad by the compositions that his love often studied. It seems as though his love acquired some ancient songbooks and even an instrument once belonging to a legendary bard named Kelkarn. Odd, just like his love, Kelkarn just vanished one day. Where he went and why he went was never discovered.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That's all. Does that help a bit?</DIV> <DIV>__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I do have to say not too shaby and deffinately hope to see if there are some more tidbits or even some secret spells in EQ2 that are the songs vhalen wrote up. </DIV></DIV><p>Message Edited by Amana on <span class=date_text>07-02-2006</span> <span class=time_text>06:47 AM</span>

[Themaginator]

hes from a magical land called SOE and has acces to the mythicl artifact known as "The Story Board of Knowledge" lol thi is an odd question =P

[Ama]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Themaginator wrote:<BR> hes from a magical land called SOE and has acces to the mythicl artifact known as "The Story Board of Knowledge" lol thi is an odd question =P<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>Hmm what is this magical land called SoE?  I have heard of it in tales and yet I have never encountered it in my journeys. :smileytongue: :smileywink:<BR>

[Cusashorn]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Amana wrote:<BR> <DIV>Many of us have seen his pearls of wisedom pointing us in the right direction.  Giving us cryptic clues leading us to greater understanding of something.  Even giving a small portion of information out about a little something that has been bugging us.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>However now I must pose a question that I want answered and that question is not about anything pertaining to a race of being, a mystical parchment, or even a mythical item.  My question is what lore is behind the person or being we know as Vhalen?  I remember an interesting comment saying he knew about all of Norrath and that everything had been layed before us.  How does he know this from a lore point of view?  Is Vhalen some regular person that gained an almost infinite knowledge about Norrath through some ritual or was he blessed by the gods being granted some sort of title? This title allowing him to see what was instore for all of us and the land we know as Norrath.</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Technically, due to the vagueness of this topic, I can get away with telling the lore behing Vhalen Nostrolo, a bard who inhabited South Karana back in EQlive, and tells a story of how the love of his life left him and stuff and how she started worshipping Saryrn and all that.

[Themaginator]

<DIV>i think its in the Plane of SanDiego...which in troll means a whales va...nevermind =)</DIV>

[Nocturnal Aby]

<DIV>I actually answered this question before, let me go find it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=lore&message.id=12617&query.id=0#M12617" target=_blank>Here</A> it is.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <HR> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> TheManInTheBox wrote:<BR> <FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><BR>Edit - Oh yes. About the lore you revealed Vhalen. You said it was too soon to reveal the name of Vhalen's love whom he lost. How about you give us another good lore fix about the story of romance you never did quite tell us all about. At the very least. I want a name. Who was she? What was she? Where did she go?<BR></FONT> <P>Message Edited by TheManInTheBox on <SPAN class=date_text><FONT color=#756b56>05-30-2006</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=time_text>04:57 PM</SPAN><BR></P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Sorry I'm not Vhalen, but I can answer some of your question.  Vhalen's lover was Metala Highflit, a bard that Vhalen trained, and eventually fell in love with.  She ended up leaving him for a Bloodsaber, named Garuc Anehm.  It almost seems like she became one of the first Dirges.  You can read about Vhalen's tale of lament <A href="http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=398" target=_blank><FONT color=#c8c1b5>here</FONT></A>.<BR></P> <P>Upon further digging, I have found out that much more woe has befallen poor Vhalen Nostrolo than I thought.  At some point after Metala started hanging out with Garuc, she ascended to the Plain of Torment, and seems to have become a devout Saryrnite, changing her name to Metala Von Korach, and is killed in the final battle for the bard epic 1.5 in EQ.  Upon bringing her a necklace that she gave Vhalen on one of their final anniversaries, she calls out, "You are a fool Vhalen! You send these peasants to do your dirty work, you never were much for getting your hands dirty! The path of pain is the only way to true power. I will never turn from it!"  She then begins to somehow twist into a horrible, tormented vissage that attacks youl.</P> <P>Poor Vhalen Nostrolo, my Quellious bring peace to your spirit.</P> <P></P> <HR> <P> </P> <P>Vhalen also worked with Brother Estle during the War of Plagues to defend Qeynos, and I believe he may be entombed in the Shrine of Estle,  I know some of his fellow Bards of Bristlebane are.  Hope you enjoy <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P> </P> <P> </P></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P>Message Edited by Nocturnal Abyss on <SPAN class=date_text>07-01-2006</SPAN><SPAN class=time_text>05:13 PM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by Nocturnal Abyss on <span class=date_text>07-01-2006</span> <span class=time_text>05:13 PM</span>

[troodon]

<A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=lore&message.id=8283&query.id=0#M8283" target=_blank>More</A>

[SpryYoungE]

<div><blockquote><hr><div>Vhalen also worked with Brother Estle during the War of Plagues to defend Qeynos, and I believe he may be entombed in the Shrine of Estle,  I know some of his fellow Bards of Bristlebane are.  Hope you enjoy <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <hr size="2" width="100%"></div></blockquote><div><p>Where did you find this out? The only mention of the Shrine of Estle I know of is in a quest given by Algan Tinmizer (? on name) in the Baubbleshire. All he asks is for you to find it, and very little other information is given on the location, who is buried there, etc.</p></div><blockquote><div></div></blockquote></div>

[Nocturnal Aby]

<P>Follow the links!  Trodoon's post links you to a quote from Vhalen on these very boards.  My link will take you to an unofficial Everquest (the first one) database that lists quest infor, zone info, has a bestiary, and item database.  The link I provide actually takes you to a quest involving Vhalan Nostrolo in Everquest, and, I believe, is part of the bard Epic 1.5 or 2.0, in which you confront his ex lover.</P> <P> </P> <P> </P>

[Ama]

<DIV>Well it seems we got a bit of interesting lore here :smileywink: .</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"If you have ever encountered Vhalen the ghost of the bell tower then you have only encountered a shadow of what he is now. His adventurers in Norrath may have seemingly ended that fateful day when the hordes of undead entered the Qeynos Hills, but Norrath is in dire need of his knowledge. Perhaps his soul wanders the Ethernere and he is beginning to reach out to Norrath the best he can. Could he find a way back to Mother Norrath as others have blazed the trail?"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It is vague but deffinately gives insight to the person we know as Vhalen or I should say the ghost of Vhalen that resides within the Bell tower in Antonica. </DIV>