History of Kerra/Vah Shir and the Erudites

[Dragowulf]

I'm curious as to how the Kerra became Vah'Shir and looking at some lore around I thought I read something saying that the Kerra got their land stolen by Erudites or something like that.The only Kerra were the ones on Kerra Isle in EQ, pretty much extinct, right? So how did they increase their numbers? Unless of course Vah'Shir is the same thing as Kerra. I thought they were slightly different. Kinda like High Elf and Dark Elf.Anyone have any info on this stuff and how Kerra came to be, etc?Been wondering lately, since some think next expansion might be Odus, this is a good chunk of lore and I'd like to be enlightened... thanks

[Coniaric]

<P>The Vah Shir is kind of the royal sect of the Kerra, I think. The war between Erudites and Heretics caused the part of earth, which Shar Vahl (Vah Shir's city) rests on, to be transported to Luclin ... though magical means, clearly.</P> <P>So, Vah Shir lived on Luclin until its final demise. The some of the Vah Shir, who were stranded on Norrath due to the termination of teleportation system, rejoined the Kerra and over generations, they become one race again, so to say.</P>

[IrishWonder]

<DIV>I'm not sure who created them, but the Kerran originally settled on the island of Odus. They were a tribal race, and by comparison they weren't as developed as the elder races of Norrath. Their leader was Kejaan (spelling?). Kejaan united all the Kerrans into one big kingdom and they lived happily for awhile. During the Combine Empire of the Human's, a group of Humans split off and joined faction with a man named Erud. They moved off to Odus as well, and as the Erudites usually do, they decided that the Kerrans were far inferior to their uber brains. They took over much of the continent, and I believe they even enslaved many of the Kerran peoples, but I'm a bit hazy there. A plague set in on the Kerrans (<B>Cat</B> <B>Scratch</B> <B>Fever</B> I believe it was <IMG height=16 src="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" width=16 border=0>) which may or may not have been brought over by the Erudites... not sure. This plague nearly wiped out the Kerrans, and claimed the life of Kejaan, leaving his son Vah"Kerreth to lead the remaining Kerrans.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now Vah'Kerreth (spelling again?) was pretty angry at these Erudites, and rightfully so. But before he could purge them from Odus, a civil war broke out between the original Erudites and the pact of Erudites who had begun to study Necromancy. This was an extremely destructive war fought with magic, and a powerful mis-fired force of energy accidentally hit a settlement of Kerrans along with Vah'Kerreth and transported them to the moon of Luclin. Hidden away here for many years, the Kerrans developed into a stronger and more intelligent race which Vah"Kerreth called the Vah'Shir. Down on Norrath, the remaining Kerrans, now leaderless, scattered to a few islands around Odus.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When a portal was opened up to travel to and from Luclin (Shadows of Luclin expansion in EQLive), many Vah'Shir went to revisit their homeland. They bred with the Kerrans there, and as a result the Kerran race became stronger, evolving into the Kerrans we know today. After the Shattering destroyed the moon of Luclin, the race of Vah'Shir was all but extinct. The remaining Vah'Shir bred into the new Kerran race.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Events from that point until now I'm not sure of. All I know is some of 'em ended up in Freeport, and some in Qeynos. If you want more in-depth history on the Kerrans, I know there is a book, "History of the Kerra," that you can get in the Qeynos Mage Tower or Freeport Library I believe. It has two or three parts, and goes into more detail than I'm able to. Hope that helps ya out <IMG height=16 src="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" width=16 border=0></DIV>

[Cusashorn]

<DIV>The Kerra who lived on Kerra Isle didn't go extinct. They're the main population of the race.</DIV>

[Xalmat]

The History of the Kerra:<blockquote><HR>Story 1In the long-ago, the tall rocks stood proud on the hills of Odus. "Come and play," whispered the winds, but the rocks said, "We are rocks; we cannot move." And the winds caressed the rocks, shaping them and softening their edges. And so formed the first kerra. Being of the rocks and wind, the kerra are strong and proud, yet graceful and lean. The kerra were scattered by the wind across Odus. Not knowing each other, they fought, sometimes to the death. Until Kejaan came.Kejaan was wiser than all other kerra. Where he traveled, the rocks rolled gently away and the winds carried news to him. The fighting of his kind saddened Kejaan, and he walked from tribe to tribe, joining them together as one. This was the kerra's Golden Time, when all tribes learned one tongue and fought with one another no more.Many things did the wind tell Kejaan and he passed along the knowledge to all others. The kerra prospered. Until that day that an ill-wind blew, bringing with it the ship of Erud and his ilk. They stepped on the rocks that were the kerra ancestors and built walls to block the wind. They pushed the kerra from the lands of their forefathers. They brought death.With them, whether they meant it or not, the Erudites brought diseases for which the kerra had no name and no cure. Even Kejaan succumbed, though he left his son Vah Kerrath as leader. The winds howled and the rocks wept. It was a bitter time. Vah Kerrath blamed the Heretics, whose studies brought darkness and shadow to Odus. They studied the darkest arts of necromancy. They had killed his father; they would need to die.Even some of the Erudites fought with the Heretics. We kerra were caught in the midst of their battle. And then the winds yet again came and said to the rocks, "We will bear you elsewhere," and they blew hard, fast and strong.Story 2With a gust of immense power and strength, the winds carried the village of Vah Kerrath away, to Luclin. Vah Kerrath embraced his new home and named the tribe that came with him the Vah Shir.Many of those who had not flown with the wind left Odus, the land of their birth. In the west, they settled upon Kerra Isle. Another tribe went east to an island in Erud's Crossing. Yet another tribe moved into the StonebruntMountains.The winds could carry news from tribe to tribe, though sometimes the kerra did not heed its words. When they listen to the winds, however, the kerra learn many things. This is how they learned to fish, after all, by listening to the wind.The kerra have a saying, that one who achieves greatness has "earned her stripes." This is because the great Kejaan was striped, although nowadays kerra fur has many colors and patterns. A kerra knows by the looking which tribe another kerra is from by the color and pattern - although this is only for us to know.Now, the Vah Shir on Luclin were different than the kerra on Norrath. Their ways were different, for they grew up so far away. Until a day came when the veils between the worlds were lifted and many Vah Shir came home. They had earned their stripes in the rough lands they lived, and yet they longed to be one with us again. We welcomed them home, taught them what they had forgotten, and they heard with their own ears the wisdom of the wind.Story 3Ages of the world passed and the kerra listened and learned. Through our brothers of Luclin, we grew stronger. Through our sisters of Norrath, we grew in wisdom. We returned to the old ways, as much as we could.One day, the winds changed. No longer our mother, it shrieked and cried. It was a voice of pain and yearning. What it sought, we do not know. It tore apart the mountains and the woods. It stirred the depths of the seas.The rocks, too, were changing. No longer fixed, they pushed and pulled, crying out in their agony. We were unable to comfort them. No offerings brought it peace. The lands reformed in unnatural ways.In the sky, Luclin heard the torment and in sympathy it burst asunder, sending its children to join with Norrath. But Luclin was (and is) a poweful place, and its children were great. They destroyed what they meant to join. Now all the worlds are different. Those of the Vah Shir look to Luclin and cannot but wonder if any who remained still live. Then the wind brought to Evora the Word, and we understood.In the cities of men, our mother winds cannot find us and beneath our feet, the rocks do not know our names. But if you stand beyond the walls and listen, you can hear them yet calling us. And one day, we will answer.<hr></blockquote>

[Nocturnal Aby]

<DIV>I'm actually planning on writing about them in my next column for EQ2 WarCry!  You can find my first column <A href="http://eq2.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=68&id=66337" target=_blank>here</A>.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[tcg23]

WOW! I did a search for kerra information, those 3 books of info are so great. In my opinion the lore is what makes EQ>All. I just can't get over how awesome that is, I keep re-reading it and I'm getting more excited about playing a kerran. (Just came back to the game)