Moradhim

[Misery]

What is the story with Moradhim, the dwarf city in EQOA.   I've read lot's of different ideas, a big one is that it was an outpost of Kaladim of some sort.  Discuss.

[Cusashorn]

<p>Is Moradhim even mentioned anywhere in EQ2?</p><p>It was just thrown into EQOA as an excuse for dwarves to be a playable race in that game, so it's existance isn't acknowledged in EQlive, and I don't recall ever hearing of it in EQ2 yet.</p>

[Mary the Prophetess]

<p>EQoA was released <i>after</i> EQ Live; (even though it is set 500 years earlier than EQ).  Therefore it had EQLive as a model upon which to draw, (vis-a-vie character races etc.)</p><p>However, EQoA had only the continents of Antonica and Odus within it's game world.  Yet it still had nearly all of the player races from EQLIve to try and accomodate on those two continents.</p><p>Most of the races, (Frogloks excepted), could find either roots or a rationale for being on Antonica.  Humans, Barbarians, Erudites, Trolls, Ogres, and Ayr 'Dal, all originated on Antonica.</p><p>The Elder Elves, (which later split into the Koada 'Dal, the Teir 'Dal, and the Fier 'Dal), were all located on Tunaria, (Antonica), originally.  Takish 'Hiz has already fallen in EQoA, and the Hejia is already under way, but is not finished.  The Elder Elves have already, (or are still in the process of), dividing into the EQLive Elvish races.  They fled the Eldaar Forest and reside in Kethelin, (Fier 'Dal), Fayspire, (Koada 'Dal), and Neriak, (Teir 'Dal).</p><p>The Gnomes, (from Faydwer), have mining outposts on Antonica at Klick 'Anon, and in Lavastorm.</p><p>Erud and his followers are staging out of Highbourne on their way to Odus and Arcadin.</p><p>All of the races are on Antonica, with legitimate reasons for being there, (even if it is a temporary state of affairs).</p><p>All except the Dwarves.</p><p>The Dwarves come from Faydwer.  In EQoA they also reside on Antonica at Moradhim, but no satisfactory explanation exists, (that I am aware of), as to exactly <i>why</i> the Dwarves left Faydwer to come to Mordahim at all.</p><p>The Dwarves are miners.  The Serpent's Spine Mountains, (raised by Solusek Ro to cause the withering of the Eldaar Forest and the ruin of Takish 'Hiz), are relatively new.</p><p>The rationale, (<b><u>NOT</u></b> stated in the lore), would be a mining colony of Dwarves from Faydwer sent to investigate and explore the new mountain range on Antonica.</p><p>However no one really knows, (or is likely to).  Just one player's 'guesstimate'.</p>

[Cusashorn]

Don't forget gnomes.

[Misery]

The idea of Moradhim just being thrown into the mix so that dwarves could be a playable race does not make any sense.  It was released AFTER EQ Live, it would be easier for them to just use an idea based on Kaladim if they just wanted to throw it in there.  Not saying it would be Kaladim (because I know that's not in Antonica), but something tied in with it.The idea that the dwarves were sent to the outpost of Moradhim to explore Antonica makes the most sense, but I wish there was something concrete.

[troodon]

<cite>Mary the Prophetess wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>The Dwarves are miners.  The Serpent's Spine Mountains, (raised by Solusek Ro to cause the withering of the Eldaar Forest and the ruin of Takish 'Hiz), are relatively new.</p></blockquote><p>They wouldn't want to dig too deeply, you get a couple of meters below surface rock and things take a <i>long</i> time to cool <img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" /></p><p>Of course, all they need to do is bring a Wizard along to zap it cold and they're golden.</p>

[Rainmare]

<cite>Misery wrote:</cite><blockquote>The idea of Moradhim just being thrown into the mix so that dwarves could be a playable race does not make any sense.  It was released AFTER EQ Live, it would be easier for them to just use an idea based on Kaladim if they just wanted to throw it in there.  Not saying it would be Kaladim (because I know that's not in Antonica), but something tied in with it.The idea that the dwarves were sent to the outpost of Moradhim to explore Antonica makes the most sense, but I wish there was something concrete.</blockquote>it makes perfect sense they threw it in there just for a dwarf starting point. the dwarves originated in faydwer, and built Kaladim. in eq1 and eq2, I can't recall any instance of them ever leaving the continent for 'mining' except once, to Velious for Velium. the apparently still have very lucrative mines in Kaladim, and that's only a small portion of the Butcherblock Mountains.for EQOA, if they wanted dwarves, they either had to include faydwer, or make someplace up to put them in antonica. they couldn't use a city, because the only dwarven home is Kaladim, so they created an 'outpost' to put them in so they can say the reason why it's never mentioned or remembered by anyone in EQ or EQ2 is becuase it was an outpost that eventually died off and passed out of memory.same thing with the gnomes. they made up a new place for them to start in antonica becuase they wanted to include the race in a time period where the race wasn't even heard of on the continent they wanted.

[Mary the Prophetess]

<p>But there <b><u>was</u></b> a Gnomish presence on Antonica in EQLive that can be thought of as the remnants of the Gnomish outpost of Klick 'Anon from EQoA:</p><p>The Solusek Mining Company in Solusek's Eye.</p>

[Cusashorn]

<p>But there's no connection between Klik'Anon and the Solusek Mining Company. It was never revealed where the SMC originated from. For all we know, they came here from Ak'Anon at the same timeframe as when Everquest first started.... Wait, does the SMC exist in EQOA? If so, then nevermind that last comment...</p><p>But still. There's no proof that the SMC originated from Klik'Anon, nor is that city/outpost/colony/whatever acknowledged to exist in EQlive.</p>

[Mary the Prophetess]

<p>It's true that there is no background story for the Solusek Mining Company, though there are hints:</p><p>Their factions are the same as Ak 'Anon factions, and (for what it's worth), the EQ Pen-and-Paper game gives the Solusek Gnomes a background story as having come from Ak 'Anon as well.</p><p>Still, in the absence of any definitive story, it would be a nice clean way for the designers, (anyone listening?), to officially make a link between the two games.  Plus it is logical and does no harm to the lore of either game. </p>

[Nocturnal Aby]

<p>I've never played EQ PnP or EQOA, but I played EQ from when Kunark came out until EQ2 went live.  I couldn't tell you where I saw it, but I recall the SMC having set up the outpost in order to gather gems.  Gems seem to be a fondness of the gnomes.  If I had to guess, they like to use the crystals for their power storage and conductivity characteristics in the items that they tinker.  Also, if I remember correctly, the SMC had set up a small fortress inside the volcano, though it wasn't very...I don't know..gnomish looking?  </p><p>Anyways, as I've been trying to convey in other posts, EQOA tried to pack too much into too little, creating a couple annoying inconsistancies in spots.</p><p>Regarding the dwarves, though I'm loathe to share it, I have found a source that talks about a dwarven presence in Antonica.  In another post, I'd asked about Blackburrow being the remnance of Moradhim, this source is where that idea came from</p><p><i><b>Everquest Atlas: The Maps of Myrist</b></i></p><p><i><b>Blackburrow-Background</b></i></p><p><i><b>Nestled between Qeynos Hills and the peaks of Everfrost to the north, Blackburrow is the present day home of the Sabertooth Gnoll Pack.  In the past, over 500 hundred [sic] years ago, the orignal excavation of the deepest level was done by a group of dwarves long since fogotten to time.  Evidence of their superior stonework can still be found in section of the complex, atlhough their purpose within this region of Norrath remains as mysterious as their fate.</b></i></p><p>And, just to throw some lore tidbit in that is totally unrelated to the topic at hand, this is found later in the same section:</p><p><i><b>One generation later, Antonius Bayle II, the Great Defender, appointed Gynok Captain of the Tower Guard.  Captain Gynok Moltar would order small untits of his guards to slay gnolls in Qeynos Hills, unbeknownst to his superior and commander.  It was well known that Gynok despisedthe gnolls, who had slain his parents years before.  Gynok would later cut off High Shaman Opalla's hand during the elder gnoll's attempt to make a treaty of peace with the humans.  This horrible act led to the eternal war between the citizens of Qeynos and the Sabertooths.</b></i></p><p>So there were dwarves that dug the mines of Blackburrow, what ever happened to them is a mystery, though, and one likely we'll not know, as the Blackburrow of old has been lost to the Age of Cataclysms</p>

[ke'la]

<cite>Cusashorn wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Is Moradhim even mentioned anywhere in EQ2?</p><p>It was just thrown into EQOA as an excuse for dwarves to be a playable race in that game, so it's existance isn't acknowledged in EQlive, and I don't recall ever hearing of it in EQ2 yet.</p></blockquote>How many failed collonies are thier though that are never heard from again? In could be that Moradhim is one of those types of Collonies and if it is one that never came to great prominance it could easily have become a "forgotten" Collony, in the 500 years between EQOA and EQL and if it was forgotten at that point in Norath's history then it makes perfect sence that noone in EQ2 would know about it. I mean if suddenly something happened to end Thundermyst Village's exsistance, in 50 would anyone really know that it was even thier?

[Rezikai]

<p><i><b>Nestled between Qeynos Hills and the peaks of Everfrost to the north, Blackburrow is the present day home of the Sabertooth Gnoll Pack.  In the past, over 500 hundred [sic] years ago, the orignal excavation of the deepest level was done by a group of dwarves long since fogotten to time.</b></i> </p><hr /><p>Aye, i remember playing EQoA and moer hten a few times being deep..deep in Blackburrow, we came across alot of dwarves down there talking about how they are still searching for the more valuable ores from the area. The Dwarven area in Blackburrow was larger then expected to, easily as big as one of the starting areas ni EQ2, about the same area as LongShadow Alley or Beggars Court. I wondered why they were there, but being a dwarf hater for so long never really cared to find out. </p><p>As for Moradhim i can accept it was just a small mining outpost for ore that never flourished into a full fledged city, they also had these similar outposts for dwarves on old Tunaria in other areas just not as starting areas, the minotaur mines in the southern Karana were one, and the small outpost in the Rathe Mountains. </p><hr /><p><i><b>One generation later, Antonius Bayle II, the Great Defender <hr /></b></i></p>This part brought back some Nostalgia, when a person starts in Qeynos in EQoA the opening text tells you that your in te 2nd year of Ant. Bayle II 's  rule. Later all warriors had a chance w/ AA's  ( we called them CM's and had 1500) to have their class changed to either Hero, or Defender. and the lore text from the Defender title, was "Three times the Gnoll hoards broke through the Qeynos gates, and three times the Defenders rose to throw them back".

[iceriven2]

In the eq1 expansion dragons of Norrath you find out the Venril Sather Hired the gnomes to dig in Sol eye.  He wanted them to find the dragons breeding grounds so he could curse the next generation of dragons.... If i remember correctly he succeeds.