The Combine Empire

[DreamerClou]

<DIV>This era has always intrigued me.  These were the supposed builders or discoverers of how to use the Spires for teleportation.  To this day no one knows for sure if they actually built them.  However, who actually were The Combine Empire?  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Were they humans?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Where were their cities on Norrath?  I'm pretty sure this empire pre-dates Qeynos and Freeport.  Where did they live - is there any trace of their cities on Norrath?  I know that some, if not all of them ported to Luclin, but all that they left behind on Norrath were the spires?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are there any living or non-living NPCs left from this mysterious empire?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>On a side note, I forget - did any god in the pantheon create humans?  Or did they evolve from umm, that ape on that small isle in Kunark? rofl</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>*edited for clarity*</DIV><p>Message Edited by DreamerCloud9 on <span class=date_text>08-01-2006</span> <span class=time_text>03:07 AM</span>

[Cusashorn]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> DreamerCloud9 wrote:<BR> <DIV>This era has always intrigued me.  These were the supposed builders or discoverers of how to use the Spires for teleportation.  To this day no one knows for sure if they actually built them.  However, who actually were The Combine Empire?  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Were they humans?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Where were their cities on Norrath?  I'm pretty sure this empire pre-dates Qeynos and Freeport.  Where did they live - is there any trace of their cities on Norrath?  I know that some, if not all of them ported to Luclin, but all that they left behind on Norrath the spires?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are there any living or non-living NPCs left from this mysterious empire?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>On a side note, I forget - did any god in the pantheon create humans?  Or did they evolve from umm, that ape on that small isle in Kunark? rofl</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>The Combine Empire was the first... Human empire for the most part. Indeed it was well before Freeport or Qeynos came into existance.</P> <P>They actually managed to bring all the races on Tunaria together and unified them with peaceful resolve. Especially the Dark Elves..</P> <P> </P> <P>Not too much is really known about thier history, other than that when they died, the ancient magic art of Geomancy died with it.</P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P>Also: Humans were "magically Evolved" through Mithanial Marr's influence. A process I like to call Divine Evolution.</P>

[Gluk]

<div></div>If I remember right, wasn't Seru/Katta city's the remnants of the Combine after Fleeing to Luclin for a reason I cant seem to remember in EQlive?<div></div><p>Message Edited by Glukky on <span class=date_text>07-31-2006</span> <span class=time_text>10:22 PM</span>

[iceriven2]

if i remember correctly there was a rift/cival war of sorts with the ruling family and his noble court. Some wanted the evil races to be apart of the empire while other did not...from there i forget....

[Lakland]

<P>Interesting topic. We have information on the outcome of the Combine Empire and the whole porting and chasing episode on Luclin. I would also be very interested in finding out more of this Empire while on Norrath.</P> <P>Let the digging begin :smileyhappy:</P><p>Message Edited by Lakland on <span class=date_text>08-01-2006</span> <span class=time_text>04:26 AM</span>

[Y]

Doesn't help much, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverQuest_timeline" target=_blank>Wikipedia's EverQuest Timeline</a> gives a few dates for the rise and fall of the Combine Empire. Of course all this should be taken with a grain of salt.I believe no official information was ever given on who built the original quadoliths. The Combine Empire can only be credited for building the minor spires (pyramids) that they placed along the lines connecting the quadroliths to tap their power.On the topic of spires, that story about the quadroliths disappearing and being replaced by new Ulteran spires (in different locations) always bugged me. Seemed like a knee-jerk reaction to players pointing out that some spires were placed in the wrong areas.<div></div>

[Saroc_Luclin]

It's not official lore, but it's still a decent read. You may want to check out "Ocean of Tears", the second EQ book (skip the first one). It takes place in the last days of the Combine Empire and the events that went on around then. The actual events are probably different, but the author seemed to try hard to stay as close to the game as he could while telling the story, and IMO, gives a worthy impression of what the Combine empire was (though any in game lore would trump it of course)Basically, the Combine was a human empire started by the Charismatic Katta Castelum (the one who the Luclin city was named after; his body is said to be in there). He sought to bring unity to Norrath, and almost succeeded. He had unified the human races, the dwarves, gnomes, halflings, elves (the empire fell as he was trying to bring the Dark Elves into the Combine; it was part of the reason for the failure of the Combine).I'm not sure where the Combine humans lived; at the time the Elves were settled in the Faydarks already, but the memories of Takish'hiz were still fresh in their memories. I suspect Qeynos was the main base for Combine humans; Freeport at the time was implied to be little more than a pirate base. (But a lot of my knowledge of the combine is also tainted by the book I mentionned; in game lore may say otherwise.)

[Kendricke]

<blockquote><hr>Glukky wrote:<div></div>If I remember right, wasn't Seru/Katta city's the remnants of the Combine after Fleeing to Luclin for a reason I cant seem to remember in EQlive?<div></div><hr></blockquote>You're referring to the flight of the followers of Tsaph Katta and the pursuit of the Combine's Imperial Inquisition. Tsaph Katta became Imperiator of the Combine Empire and his followers wished to include darker races into the Combine, but the thought of adding the "impure" races to the Combine infuriated the new Grand Inquisitor at the time, a man named Seru. Seru felt that Tsaph Katta had betrayed the Combine Empire, and arranged to have him killed. After he was poisoned, Seru attempted to round up all known "loyalists" of Katta. However, a woman named Lcea Katta lead the loyalists away from their would be killers, and hatched a desparate plan of her own to use some of the most powerful magicks ever used to teleport her people through the giant spire within the Dreadlands of Kunark to find their way to the moon of Luclin. Once upon Luclin however, the loyalists were surprised to find that they (A) were in an underground tunnel system and (B) had no way to reactivate the spires to return home. The loyalists split. Those still following Lcea travelled through the tunnels connected to the Nexus and eventually founded Katta Castellum on the darkside of the surface, while those who remained behind founded a small colony near the Nexus where they would attempt to research a way home.However, it didn't take long for Seru to discover what had happened to the loyalists. He too travelled to Luclin with a small army taken from the Imperial Legions. Once there, he also discovered that there was no return. Realizing his sudden situation had turned against him, he left for the surface as well, eventually founding Sanctus Seru on the lightside of Luclin. Some of his followers stayed behind as well, however, to work on researching a way to return to Norrath.Eventually, those researchers forgot their differences with the loyalists and together the two camps founded Shadowhaven, a city of smugglers and traders.

[Kendricke]

<blockquote><hr>Cusashorn wrote:<div></div><p>They actually managed to bring all the races on Tunaria together and unified them with peaceful resolve. Especially the Dark Elves..</p><hr></blockquote>As stated, the Combine never truly incorporated the Dark Elves. The mere fact of attempting such a thing was what motivated Inquisitor Seru to launch his attempted coup, and what eventually destroyed the Combine Empire.<p>Message Edited by Kendricke on <span class=date_text>08-01-2006</span> <span class=time_text>06:25 AM</span>

[Saroc_Luclin]

The Magician/Wizard Grieg was one of the main people who first discovered how to use the spires, and who helped port up to Luclin in the first place. When he discovered that their people were trapped on Luclin now, he devoted his life to the spires and finding a way back to Norrath. Towards that end, he set up the spires (or discovered?) in Mon Letalis and continued his experiments and studies in his fortress nearby (what became Grieg's End).Here it is thought the Goddess of Shadows herself took interest in his studies; perhaps to keep her newly caught samples of Norrathan culture on Luclin. It is said Luclin herself started influencing Grieg's mind, driving him mad and diverting him from his studies, until he eventually stayed in his fortress,  the mad wizard; all attempts to get home long forgotten.<div></div>

[Kendricke]

Actually, according to Maelin Starpyre and Nadia of Brell, Grieg had nothing to do with the Mons Letalis spires (which were actually created by Seruite researchers in an attempt to emulate the Dreadlands spires). The rest of your post was accurate according to the information I have available, however.Grieg Veneficus was indeed one of the geomancers most responsible for originally allowing the teleport to Luclin to take place. However, he was not a true loyalist. He was simply in search of more knowledge and the loyalists gave him the ability to do just that. Once on Luclin, his shoddy calculations indicated that it would be ages before they could return home, and this (along with failed geomancy experiments which continued to harm denizens of his new home in Shadowhaven) eventually lead to the trade councils exiling Grieg. He tried to appeal for refuge then in Katta Castellum and was similarly turned out.Eventually, using his geomantic arts, he created a home for himself out of the ground itself near Dawnshroud Peaks, and styled it in the architecture of the Combine's greatest castles. According to Maelin Starpyre, he continued to work on a way to return to Norrath while at his castle, but was eventually driven mad by Luclin herself - offended at the conspicuous nature of his geomantic experiments.After he'd been suitably "altered", she sent some of her darker denizens to inhabit his castle, which became known as Grieg's End.<p>Message Edited by Kendricke on <span class=date_text>08-01-2006</span> <span class=time_text>07:21 AM</span>

[DreamerClou]

<P>Great information all.  I'm primarily curious about the Combine Empire pre-luclin events.  Clearly by the time they fled to Luclin the Combine Empire was fractured.  We seem to only have the spires as the only physical evidence that they even existed on Norrath.  I wonder if Vhalen has any insight on where the Combines lived while on Norrath itself- hint hint <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Does any knowledge even exist I wonder...</P> <P>I just love the lore of Norrath.  I can't believe how deep it really is for just a game!</P>

[Cusashorn]

<DIV>Indeed. Beyond what we know about them in relation to Luclin, there's almost no information whatsoever as to who they were, when they existed, for how long they existed, or what accomplishments were made.</DIV>

[RaphaNissi]

According to one of the Varsoon books, we do know that he existed during the Combine Empire.  The tome speaks about him opening a rift to the planes and walking amoung them, bringing back several artifacts.  According to him, his greatest discovery come at this time.  Maybe some others can get more information out of story found <a href="http://lorenorrath.free.fr/read.php?link=varsooncollection1" target=_blank>here</a>.  <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>