Just who IS Aataltaal?

[Mary the Prophetess]

<DIV>EQ Live, EQ2, EQ table-top RPGs, ALL make reference to this mysterious Koada 'Dal.  He is rumored to have had an influence nearly as deep as Mayong Mistmoore's, and to have outlived the gods themselves.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>He been involved in many of the foundations of Norrath, from the Combine Empire, to Tarton's Wheel, to the founding of Freeport.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Parroting Ayn Rand;</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"Just who <STRONG>IS</STRONG> Aataltaal?"</DIV>

[Cusashorn]

<DIV>Yeah I've never heard of him before, yet I hang onto the Tarton's Wheel book in my bank in hopes that it'll become a furniture item. I'd like to know who this guy is too.</DIV>

[Mirander_1]

<div></div>In EQ2, he's mentioned in the journal for Tartan's Wheel.  Beyond that, there's a novel called "Ocean of Tears" staring him you might find in your local bookstore.  It's a good read and seems like it just might be canon to the game.  If it is then the book will answer all, or at least most, of your questions about him<div></div>

[Ogrebe]

In the eq2 role playing game that a lot about him<blockquote><hr><div align="justify"> <center><b>Wheel of Time</b></center> <p> The fear he had borne those many, many long year, since the end of the Age of Combine, had come to pass: The disapperance of the gods, Yes, for hundreds of years now that had been known as the Lost Age, and of course that name was given by those who knew little to nothing of events during that time. Of course, few - perhaps none - had lived a life as long and eventfu as this ancient elf called Aataltaal. Now, it seems, he'd outlasted even the gods. The elf looked up into the bright night sky and watched Luclin's continuing disintergration. A flaming meteor, no doubt a portion of the sphere of the Maiden of Shadows, soared fast and low just to the south of him. Lightning traced the rock's path through the swirling clouds, and Aataltaal was certain he felt the wind and heat generated by the meteor. The destruction of Luclin, named for the goddess who was for countless years beyond the reach of mortals, was a metaphor for the fate of all created races... as well as for the gods themselves. Even if they were not dead, the gods who birthed the races of Norrath and had guided the events of millennia, including the seemingly wanton destruction of all they had so assiduously crafted, were beyond any mortal's reach. The immortals might as well be dead for all they could do on behalf of those who relied upon them, those who worshipped them. Likewise, there was little to be done by one such as Aataltaal, who sough to slay gods, or at least some - partculary one! - among their number. As he sat on the Luclin-blasted landscape of the Thundering Stepps, with no other living entity around for league upon league, Aataltaal gave himself over wholly to these reflections. And soon his vision returned. In the long past age of Combine, Aataltaal had foreseen the fall of that great empire. He tried toward emperor katta, but neither of them understood the meaning of the vision fully enough. Of course, Aataltaal considered that failure to be his own: It was his magic that had crafted the visions, his knowledge that should have deciphered them, and even hos plans that had set the fracturing of the Combine into motion. Granted, the plans of those against whom he toiled, General Seru and his fell sorcereres, were a considerable part of the events that brought the empire to its knees. Ages had passed since then, and yet another was dawning in this time of the broken moon, and still Aataltaal toiled. He had victories to relish and humbling defeats to rue, and still his nemesis Opal Darkbriar dogged him. She thought to have won the day in Freeport, but he had meant the promise he made to the humans there after he saw them safely westward across the ocean of Tears. That city, like his battle against the gods, might seem lost at present, but the Wheel of Time always rolled round again. The trick was stopping the wheel when it was properly poised for one's purpose. Of Course, managing one's own fate in this way was something that had proved beyond the capability of even the gods (at least as far as Aataltaal knew), but it was an end the elf yet dreamed possible. He had to believe those dreams. So much else that he had foreseen had come to pass. The citadel floating over the city of freeport. The confiscation of the Books of Knowledge. The shattering of Luclin, and the consequent loss of those first mortals of the Combine Empire who fled there with Katta's lifeless-yet-living body. The death of Seru he had also foreseen, though one had to take that death on faith since there was no body to be seen. Some things were not as yet entirely clear. Indeed now was a time of great flux. The winners and losers of this age Could not yet be clearly foretold - if in the everyday life of Norrath, or the Shattered Lands formerly known as Norrath, things could be judged in such simple terms. The two great cities that survived at this moment in time evidently considered themselves winners, and perhaps righty so. Qeynos and Freeport, once standing at opposite ends of his beloved Tunaria, more recently called Antonica. As they had once stood geographically, so too did they stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of light and dark - a spectrum of finite morality Aataltaal himself straddled completly, that he was in fact beyond in a way that the earth itself or the constellations were beyond. The same oracular power that had once led Emperor Katta to seek Aataltaal's advice in the Lost Age now suggested that the one who might finally bring the Wheel of Time to a safe halt would pass through the land in which he now stood. So the wizened elf sat here, a ragged journal in his hands. It was an ancient tome, and to any lesser mage it would have seemed a great prize. But it had been Aataltaal's for centuries now, and his own notes were now recorded within. To him it was not an artifact, it was merely a possession. Ah, but what it led to! - that was an artifact: Tarton's Wheel. Long ago Tarton constructed his Wheel so that he might travel the planes. The elves of Takish-Hiz had been the first to make such a journey, having labored for over a century to find the means to enter Innoruuk's Plane of Hate. Spells for such travel eventually became commonplace among those wizard capable of channeling sufficient mana, but Tarton wanted more, something that might take him beyond the realms where the gods dwelt in semi-real forms that could be defeated but never seemed to die. Tarton wanted access the the heart of the of the univers itself, where the essences of the gods could be confronted and destroyed altogether. And so, of course, did Aataltaal. It was unclear even to Aataltaal wheter or not Tarton had actually managed to use his creation for its ultimate purpose. He though not, for surely there would have been tremendous repercussions for a mortal undertaking such a journey, yet such consequences might well have occured with no mortal being the wiser, for few knew the events or stakes at issue and none could say how, precisely, the effects might be felt. This kind of shadow-war Aataltaal had now waged for millennia. At nearly every turn he was foiled or brought short, but often the forces thrown against him created ripples in the world at large. He had managed to assemble the ten spokes of Tarton's Wheel, but then the ripples of causality began to spread. Perhaps his estimation of his importance or the danger he or his quest posed to the gods - at least to Innoruuk - was inflated, but it seemed likely that all of the divinities must fear his success. Perhaps the roadblocks set before him were concidental, but he thought not. Regardless, it was no coincidence, surely, that very laws and fabric of the universe were altered as soon as Aataltaal possessed and assembled all the pieces of the Wheel. The global destruction had begun to subside the moment he disassembled the artifact and spread the pieces once again. He wished he believed in happenstance, for then he would not be haunted by the ghosts of the countless thousands who perished in the catastrophes that had rocked Norrath. Now he had that blood on his hands, just as he was haunted by specter of the Combine Empire and the restless souls of those elves transformed by the Prince of Hate when the rescue of their sovereigns went away. So it was that here, in the lifless waste of the Thundering Steppes, Aataltaal drafted the final portion of this journal. The writings concerned the first piece of Tarton's Wheel, called Azia. Once he had finished, he would place the journal in the magically locked chest, which he would then send secretly to the docks of the Steppes. There, only an individual with one of two proper keys - a pair of inconspious emerald Aataltaal would sell, one each, to vendors within the two sities of the former Tunaria - could recover the journal. With the journal in hand, an individual might begin his own cycle through time, If Aataltaal's perceptions of his visions were accurate this time, then the one destined to find his journal might just sneak beneath the notice of the gods, and use the Wheel succesfully without arousing the kind of wholesale destruction Aataltaal himself had caused. And that's why it seemed so reasonable to leave a riddle regarding the ancient city called Wielle for last, because Freeport was where change needed to begin.</p> </div><hr></blockquote><div></div>

[Jait]

<P>That's some good reading.  I've always been very interested in the Wheel.</P> <P> </P> <P>With the Deity system incoming, far down the road it would be really cool if the Planes became accessible again.  And even further down the road....Tarton's Wheel.   Make these "true" Planar zones with automatic access given to the worshippers.  Killing anything inside would get you booted and your diety removed. "Raid" access to non-worshippers requires traversing the normal Plane and some uber quest to access the "True" version.  Upon entering the zone, around the world each worshipper of said God would receive a call to come and defend their God and the zone would become PvP enabled.</P>

[Mirander_1]

<div></div>What Ogrebear posted agrees with a lot of what's mentioned in the novel.  The reference to his age, the part he played during the fall of the Combine Empire, his search for Tarton's Wheel, and the signifigance of Freeport.  I'm guessing the book is at least partially official to the EQ universe<div></div>

[Mary the Prophetess]

<P>I got this from an EQ Live website off of Google. </P> <P>It sounds like a summation of the EQ table-top RPG info on him, so it is probably not official lore.  Still, he IS mentioned in official lore, (though with no real background I can find):</P> <P> </P> <P>Freeport began during the Combine years when pirates found the deep water port and put it to use for their smuggling operations.  At the time, only a few small towers stood; abandoned by the Teir 'Dal.  </P> <P>Over time, a small village named Weill was established there. Not much else is known, except that the Combine Empire had no apparent interest in it.  </P> <P>The pirates maintained the illusion that no one lived there by keeping Weill in a state of disrepair.  </P> <P>After the Combine fell, thousands of people were cast adrift, and the population of Weill began to grow.  </P> <P>It was during this time, that a Koada 'Dal, named Aataltaal, came to Weill.  With him, came several ships filled with laborers and artisans.  </P> <P>Aataltaal was much loved in Weill, and became their leader.  He rebuilt Weill, installed new piers and docks, and built walls around the exterior.  Not only did trade flourish, but the population grew.  Aataltaal had great vision, planned for the future, and the name of Weill slowly changed.  </P> <P>People began to call it Landing.</P> <P>As Landing grew, it attracted the attention of the Teir 'Dal.  Their rulers decided to make an end to Landing, and sent a force to infiltrate and destroy the city.  </P> <P>This group called itself the Divine Rage, because they felt they were the tools of Innoruuk's wrath.  They were intent only upon destroying the city, and taking back the land.  </P> <P>They subsidized raids by the Deathfist Orcs, destroyed crops, disrupted trade, and attacked Aataltaal's men.  They caused havoc in every way possible.</P> <P>Aataltaal responded by recruiting an army. Local Wizards organized themselves and helped.  However the situation worsened, and a great battle took place.</P> <P>This proved to be a turning point for Landing.  It was called The Long Night.  By the time the battle was over, most of the leaders of the Divine Rage had been captured or killed, and the Deathfist army had been defeated.  </P> <P>Some of the Divine Rage fled the city; those who remained altered their name to the Dismal Rage, and fled underground.  </P> <P>Unfortunately, Aataltaal himself disappeared.  Over the years there have been rumors that he may have been captured and taken to Neriak.  Other stories claim he may still be alive. </P> <P> </P> <P>Would appreciate Vhalen's insights on the fellow.</P> <P> </P> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN> </P><p>Message Edited by Mary the Prophetess on <span class=date_text>07-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>12:29 AM</span>

[SlashnGut]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Ogrebear wrote:<BR>In the eq2 role playing game that a lot about him<BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> <BR> <DIV align=justify> <CENTER><B>Wheel of Time</B></CENTER> <P>The fear he had borne those many, many long year, since the end of the Age of Combine, had come to pass: The disapperance of the gods, Yes, for hundreds of years now that had been known as the Lost Age, and of course that name was given by those who knew little to nothing of events during that time. <BR><BR>Of course, few - perhaps none - had lived a life as long and eventfu as this ancient elf called Aataltaal. Now, it seems, he'd outlasted even the gods. <BR><BR>The elf looked up into the bright night sky and watched Luclin's continuing disintergration. A flaming meteor, no doubt a portion of the sphere of the Maiden of Shadows, soared fast and low just to the south of him. Lightning traced the rock's path through the swirling clouds, and Aataltaal was certain he felt the wind and heat generated by the meteor. <BR><BR>The destruction of Luclin, named for the goddess who was for countless years beyond the reach of mortals, was a metaphor for the fate of all created races... as well as for the gods themselves. Even if they were not dead, the gods who birthed the races of Norrath and had guided the events of millennia, including the seemingly wanton destruction of all they had so assiduously crafted, were beyond any mortal's reach. The immortals might as well be dead for all they could do on behalf of those who relied upon them, those who worshipped them. Likewise, there was little to be done by one such as Aataltaal, who sough to slay gods, or at least some - partculary one! - among their number. <BR><BR>As he sat on the Luclin-blasted landscape of the Thundering Stepps, with no other living entity around for league upon league, Aataltaal gave himself over wholly to these reflections. And soon his vision returned. <BR><BR>In the long past age of Combine, Aataltaal had foreseen the fall of that great empire. He tried toward emperor katta, but neither of them understood the meaning of the vision fully enough. Of course, Aataltaal considered that failure to be his own: It was his magic that had crafted the visions, his knowledge that should have deciphered them, and even hos plans that had set the fracturing of the Combine into motion. Granted, the plans of those against whom he toiled, General Seru and his fell sorcereres, were a considerable part of the events that brought the empire to its knees. <BR><BR>Ages had passed since then, and yet another was dawning in this time of the broken moon, and still Aataltaal toiled. He had victories to relish and humbling defeats to rue, and still his nemesis Opal Darkbriar dogged him. She thought to have won the day in Freeport, but he had meant the promise he made to the humans there after he saw them safely westward across the ocean of Tears. That city, like his battle against the gods, might seem lost at present, but the Wheel of Time always rolled round again. The trick was stopping the wheel when it was properly poised for one's purpose. <BR><BR>Of Course, managing one's own fate in this way was something that had proved beyond the capability of even the gods (at least as far as Aataltaal knew), but it was an end the elf yet dreamed possible. <BR><BR>He had to believe those dreams. So much else that he had foreseen had come to pass. <FONT color=#ff0000>The citadel floating over the city of freeport. The confiscation of the Books of Knowledge. The shattering of Luclin, and the consequent loss of those first mortals of the Combine Empire who fled there with </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000>Katta's lifeless-yet-living body</FONT>. The death of Seru he had also foreseen, though one had to take that death on faith since there was no body to be seen. Some things were not as yet entirely clear. Indeed now was a time of great flux. The winners and losers of this age Could not yet be clearly foretold - if in the everyday life of Norrath, or the Shattered Lands formerly known as Norrath, things could be judged in such simple terms. The two great cities that survived at this moment in time evidently considered themselves winners, and perhaps righty so. <BR><BR>Qeynos and Freeport, once standing at opposite ends of his beloved Tunaria, <FONT color=#ffff00>more recently called Antonica</FONT>. As they had once stood geographically, so too did they stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of light and dark - a spectrum of finite morality Aataltaal himself straddled completly, that he was in fact beyond in a way that the earth itself or the constellations were beyond. <BR><BR>The same oracular power that had once led Emperor Katta to seek Aataltaal's advice in the Lost Age now suggested that the one who might finally bring the Wheel of Time to a safe halt would pass through the land in which he now stood. So the wizened elf sat here, a ragged journal in his hands. It was an ancient tome, and to any lesser mage it would have seemed a great prize. But it had been Aataltaal's for centuries now, and his own notes were now recorded within. To him it was not an artifact, it was merely a possession. <BR><BR>Ah, but what it led to! - that was an artifact: Tarton's Wheel. <BR><BR>Long ago Tarton constructed his Wheel so that he might travel the planes. The elves of Takish-Hiz had been the first to make such a journey, having labored for over a century to find the means to enter Innoruuk's Plane of Hate. Spells for such travel eventually became commonplace among those wizard capable of channeling sufficient mana, but Tarton wanted more, something that might take him beyond the realms where the gods dwelt in semi-real forms that could be defeated but never seemed to die. <BR><BR>Tarton wanted access the the heart of the of the univers itself, where the essences of the gods could be confronted and destroyed altogether. And so, of course, did Aataltaal. <BR><BR>It was unclear even to Aataltaal wheter or not Tarton had actually managed to use his creation for its ultimate purpose. He though not, for surely there would have been tremendous repercussions for a mortal undertaking such a journey, yet such consequences might well have occured with no mortal being the wiser, for few knew the events or stakes at issue and none could say how, precisely, the effects might be felt. <BR><BR>This kind of shadow-war Aataltaal had now waged for millennia. At nearly every turn he was foiled or brought short, but often the forces thrown against him created ripples in the world at large. He had managed to assemble the ten spokes of Tarton's Wheel, but then the ripples of causality began to spread. Perhaps his estimation of his importance or the danger he or his quest posed to the gods - at least to Innoruuk - was inflated, but it seemed likely that all of the divinities must fear his success. Perhaps the roadblocks set before him were concidental, but he thought not. <BR><BR>Regardless, it was no coincidence, surely, that very laws and fabric of the universe were altered as soon as Aataltaal possessed and assembled all the pieces of the Wheel. The global destruction had begun to subside the moment he disassembled the artifact and spread the pieces once again. <BR><BR>He wished he believed in happenstance, for then he would not be haunted by the ghosts of the countless thousands who perished in the catastrophes that had rocked Norrath. Now he had that blood on his hands, just as he was haunted by specter of the Combine Empire and the restless souls of those elves transformed by the Prince of Hate when the rescue of their sovereigns went away. <BR><BR><FONT color=#006600>So it was that here, in the lifless waste of the Thundering Steppes, Aataltaal drafted the final portion of this journal. The writings concerned the first piece of Tarton's Wheel, called Azia. Once he had finished, he would place the journal in the magically locked chest, which he would then send secretly to the docks of the Steppes. There, only an individual with one of two proper keys - a pair of inconspious emerald Aataltaal would sell, one each, to vendors within the two sities of the former Tunaria - could recover the journal.</FONT> <BR><BR>With the journal in hand, an individual might begin his own cycle through time, If Aataltaal's perceptions of his visions were accurate this time, then the one destined to find his journal might just sneak beneath the notice of the gods, and use the Wheel succesfully without arousing the kind of wholesale destruction Aataltaal himself had caused. <BR><BR>And that's why it seemed so reasonable to leave a riddle regarding the ancient city called Wielle for last, because Freeport was where change needed to begin.</P></DIV> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>Let me preface this by saying I never played EQlive so am purely speculating here. First of all I would ask what race Emperor Katta was? The part I have highlighted in red talks about someone fleeing with Emperor Katta's lifeless-yet-living body and the citadel floating over Freeport. Could Emperor Katta have something to do with Lucan and why he is the way he is (a lich)? Is it possible that he somehow controls Lucan or is otherwise involved since according to what is stated he was dead yet not? In the part listed in yellow he talks about Antonica (read on for more on why this was highlighted). In the part highlighted in green it talks about Aataltaal's journal and the fact that he sent it to the docks in TS and was locked with two emeralds being the keys and those having been sold to a vendor in each city (Qeynos and Freeport). There is a magically sealed chest in the graveyard in Antonica (near Gnollslayer Keep) that I have yet to figure out a way to open. Is it possible that this may be the chest containing the journal that is spoken about above? Please don't flame (although I do expect some of the trolls and lore junkies to do so anyway) as I've already stated I never played EQlive and am only speculating but it just seems convenient that they all seem (to me) to somehow go together. I am not that much into lore and not having played the original game my understanding of many things is severely limited.<BR>

[Mirander_1]

<div></div><div><blockquote><hr>Mary the Prophetess wrote:<div></div><div> </div><p>Would appreciate Vhalen's insights on the fellow.</p><hr></blockquote>Well, I could fill in some of the gaps here if you guys want, but it does kinda spoil the novel if you ever plan to read it. </div>

[Mary the Prophetess]

<P>Right now, all we have is speculation.  </P> <P>To this date Tarton's Wheel is not a Quest in EQ2.  It has some connection to the Roekilliks and the Drakota, but in what way I am not sure.</P> <P>Message Edited by Mary the Prophetess on <SPAN class=date_text>07-28-2006</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>12:48 AM</SPAN> <P><SPAN class=time_text>Of note also, is the fact that Antonia herself comes from the Sister's Isle in the Ocean of Tears, and the fact that the Sisters of Erollisi Marr had long mantained an outpost there.  Given the fact that the Isle lay on the main trade route from Antonica to Faydwere, it no doubt was, (at the very least), a trans-shipment point for quite a lot of important documents coming and going inbetween the two continents.</SPAN> <P><SPAN class=time_text>The locked chest in the graveyard?</SPAN> <P><SPAN class=time_text>/shrugs</SPAN> <P><SPAN class=time_text>Who can tell?</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by Mary the Prophetess on <span class=date_text>07-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>12:54 AM</span>

[Chefren]

<div><blockquote><hr>Mary the Prophetess wrote:<div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <p>To this date Tarton's Wheel is not a Quest in EQ2.<span class="time_text"></span></p><hr></blockquote>Yes it is, it's just quite improbable to just stumble into. One merchant in each city has the gem for sale. Once you have the gem in your inventory a chest becomes clickable/openable in the ts docks. Do that and you get the Tarton's Wheel book which you can (apparently) read to get the quest. The reward is a nice t5 caster item.</div>

[Mary the Prophetess]

Wow that fact leads a lot of validity to some of the earlier posts.  Thanks for that info.

[SlashnGut]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Chefren wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Mary the Prophetess wrote:<BR> <P>To this date Tarton's Wheel is not a Quest in EQ2.<BR><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN><BR></P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>Yes it is, it's just quite improbable to just stumble into. One merchant in each city has the gem for sale. Once you have the gem in your inventory a chest becomes clickable/openable in the ts docks. Do that and you get the Tarton's Wheel book which you can (apparently) read to get the quest. The reward is a nice t5 caster item.<BR></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Thank you. Takes at least part of my post out of the equation.

[TheManInTheBox]

<div><blockquote><hr>Mirander wrote:<div></div><div><blockquote><hr>Mary the Prophetess wrote:<div></div><div> </div><p>Would appreciate Vhalen's insights on the fellow.</p><hr></blockquote>Well, I could fill in some of the gaps here if you guys want, but it does kinda spoil the novel if you ever plan to read it. </div><hr><font face="Comic Sans MS">I really enjoyed the second EQ novel. I wouldn't want to spoil it for them either. <span>:smileysurprised:</span></font></blockquote></div>

[Mirander_1]

<div></div>It'd be a pity to let this thread die so soon, so I'm going to just post Aataltaal's origins for now.  However, before I do that:<b><font color="#ff0000">THE FOLLOWING IS SPOILERS FOR 'OCEAN OF TEARS,'  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SPOIL YOURSELF, DON'T READ</font></b><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ffffff">There, now no one has any excuse to be mad that I spoiled it for them.  Also, I'm doing this from memory, so feel free to point out if I get anything wrong.Lets start with this fact, Aataltaal is <i>old</i>, he's older than some races, he's outlasted empires, and isn't likely to let himself die until he completes his quest.Aataltaal (lets just call him 'Aat' from here on out) was born an Eldar elf in the early days of their empire on Turnaria.   As he grew older he became highly skilled with both the blade and the various arcane arts and became one of the great heroes of the elves.  And all was well.This all changed when the elven king and queen were kidnapped by Innoruuk and taken to the Plane of Hate, where they were corrupted into the first of the Teir'dal.But the elves weren't idle during this time.  Their greatest mages worked for years, and finaly created a means to teleport people into the Plane of Hate to attempt a rescue mission.  The people sent into the Plane were a group of companions; some of the greatest heroes of the elves, including Aat, were sent into the dark realm of Innoruuk.  While they fought well and slew many of Innoruuk's minions, they did fail in their rescue attempt and were captured.  Innoruuk then proceeded to put the captured heroes throught the same process their monarchs endured, eventually turning them into Teir'dal as well, then they were deposited into the underfoot alongside their rulers. Apparently though, Aat was not changed as completely as the others were.  While he did gain the blue skin and white hair of a dark elf, and his soul was almost certainly tarnished a bit from his time in Hate, he was still good, at least for the most part.  So he saw what Innoruuk had done to his friends and his monarchs, and he made a vow: he would kill Innoruuk, and he would find a way to save his damned kindred.And so he set out to do this; searching for artifacts of power to help him do this, creating a web of plots, plans, and intriuges so complicated that not even the gods could figure it out, and through his skills with enchantment and illusion created a huge number of false identities that would allow him to get where he needed to go and to subtlely change the course of events.So there's Aat's origins in a nutshell.  I might write some more of the events of his life later, but this should be enough for now.Here's an extra bit of trivia for you guys to figure out.  Aat isn't the only one of the companions to still be alive today, there's at least one more alive in EQ2.  Anyone care to guess who it is?  (think powerful dark elf)     </font></font><div></div>

[TheManInTheBox]

<font face="Comic Sans MS">Humph... My only guess is Felicia Morningsong a.k.a. Opal Darkbriar. Is she in-game though? I remember reading about discussions about how its possible she could be the foci.. I'm a little behind with my Freeport lore.</font><div></div>

[DreamerClou]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> TheManInTheBox wrote:<BR><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Humph... My only guess is Felicia Morningsong a.k.a. Opal Darkbriar. <BR><BR>Is she in-game though? I remember reading about discussions about how its possible she could be the foci.. I'm a little behind with my Freeport lore.<BR></FONT> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Opal Darkbriar is The Foci in the freeport mage tower.  So our wizard story-teller friend here is saying in his trivia question that The Foci used to be an Eldaar Elf just like Aat?  This I did not know if thats true!

[Mirander_1]

<div></div><div><blockquote><hr>DreamerCloud9 wrote:<div></div><blockquote><hr>TheManInTheBox wrote:<font face="Comic Sans MS">Humph... My only guess is Felicia Morningsong a.k.a. Opal Darkbriar.Is she in-game though? I remember reading about discussions about how its possible she could be the foci.. I'm a little behind with my Freeport lore.</font><div></div><hr></blockquote>Opal Darkbriar is The Foci in the freeport mage tower.  So our wizard story-teller friend here is saying in his trivia question that The Foci used to be an Eldaar Elf just like Aat?  This I did not know if thats true!<hr></blockquote>yep, acording to the novel at least, Opal was part of the failed rescue mission in Hate</div>