Since a new addition to the Trademark registry shows that the next expansion may be named "EverQuest:  Underfoot", I thought we should start a discussion of any Underfoot/Brell lore we can find!

The Underfoot is supposed to exist deep below the surface of Norrath.  There is a great sealed door at the bottom of The Hole that is supposed to lead there, as well as rumors of a portal beneath Crushbone (from the books).

Many of the creatures that dwell beneath Norrath's surface worship Brell, form Dwarves to Gnolls.  It's possible that these races might ahve found a new portal to the Underfoot as well.

Not to mention blocked tunnels like the ones in Neriak and STonebrunt that exist.

http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/p...152184�

Not Underfoot specific but Brell related, I've always wondered about the line "The vicious gnolls of Split Paw disagree entirely, for it was Brell who sculpted them out of the sacred Clay of Cosgrove." Who/what is Cosgrove?

From Vhalen on the EQ2 boards:

On Cosgrove:

Cosgrove is a little known myth in the EQ universe. And it goes something like this:

Bolgin Serilis

Bolgin is the deformed and demented brother of Brell Serilis. He hides in the darkest trenches of the bowels of the Underfoot. His features are dark and he is nearly hairless.
Bolgin Serilis is a partial creator of the greater goblinoid races of Norrath. During the ages when Norrathians trod upon the planar realms a band of adventurers uncovered the hidden realm of Bolgin Serilis, the twisted tunnels of Golm. Golm was the name of the vast isolated lair where Bolgin hid from sight. Within the dark twisting labyrinth that is Golm the adventurers discovered many dangers and many secrets. One of these secrets was the role Bolgin played in the creation of the goblinoids.
This secret was taken from Golm and deposited upon Norrath during the final days of the Age of Turmoil. It would not be till the Age of Cataclysms that the goblins of Runnyeye would unearth the totem that held the secret origins of their race.

Ooh...I have loved the idea of going into the Plane of the Underfoot since I found out about it 8 years ago. I've been spending a TON of time in the Hole, hunting or gathering things for my Shadowknight epic, and I always fight straight up to that stupid door and WISH...

I AM SO EXCITED!

Zanderon wrote:

Many of the creatures that dwell beneath Norrath's surface worship Brell, form Dwarves to Gnolls.  It's possible that these races might ahve found a new portal to the Underfoot as well.

Don't forget all the Coldain dwarves over in Velious.  Finding a passage at the bottom of Crystal Caverns perhaps?  Or underneath Thurgadin in the tunnels? 

there seems to be a bit of lore from the Reactivate the Portals quest in the hole.  The Erudites had been researching the Wall of Living stone that is supposed to be a barrier of some sort to keep intruders out of the Underfoot.  The Erudites wanted to use some of its power for their own purposes and had inadvertantly weakened a seal.  The Protector of the Ruins has portals in his room going to Neriak, Erudin and Paineel however they are only one way.  Completing the quest is supposed to help him complete these portals making them two way.

It seems Brell does not want anyone invading his realm and aggressively defends his realm from any intrusion.  If a new expansion does lead to the plane of the underfoot I imagine someone would attempt to breach the Wall of Living stone again.  Erudites (particularly from Paineel) would be the most likely to seek power by tapping into the elemental powers of the Underfoot and the Wall of Living stone. 

It's possible that gnomes could open a way to the underfoot out of sheer curiosity but gnomes have already played such a central role in some of the recent expansions (SoF and DoD).  The Erudites have been a bit too quiet as of late.  They haven't even participated in any of the wars and events.  They've been like Switzerland not taking any part in what the other races have been doing.  As they are adept at all schools of magic and they like to conduct quite a bit of research and experiment with new magic (quite a few quests and even epics seem to involve assisting an erudite conduct magic research or create a new spell) they have the potential to do something spectacular.  You just know that all this time they've been sitting out the various wars the other races have been engaging in that they've been up to no good.

Was the elemental invasion of Splitpaw also related to the underfoot?  I remember some lore from the change but cant find it now.

Anything in the new or recent expansion that could give us a clue as to why anyone would need to venture to brell?

Liched wrote:

Anything in the new or recent expansion that could give us a clue as to why anyone would need to venture to brell?

Well, with our rescue of the gods from ultimate destruction, mayhap they make a re-appearance.  Since Brell is pretty much the only God I can think of that has never had a presence in Norrath, maybe we find he needs a rescuing as well from the other gods?

He does have that evil twin down there with him after all!

The Hole Uncovered: History Repeats

The Hole Uncovered: History Repeats Vol. I-III Ognit Eznertob, Dabner Drednever and Dagda Icefury had spent the last several days spelunking in the Hole and the ruins of the old city of Paineel. The ruins were an eerie, dusty and dark place. Strange and terrifying sounds echoed throughout the once splendorous city, like wails of torment from souls suffering in eternal agony. Though Ognit seemed unfazed by the atmosphere, Dabner and Dagda were very skittish about their journey down into the Hole. Dabner swore that the sounds were none other than the ghosts of Erudites slain during the great war that destroyed the old city years ago. Ognit hypothesized that the strange noises were caused by undercurrents of wind wafting from the surface above and were nothing to be concerned about. Dagda knew not the cause of the sounds but she was sure that the three of them should not be in that place. After spending some time exploring the ruins and wandering deeper into the cavern, the three came across the very thingfor which Ognit had been searching. Before them stood The Hatch and the wall of Living Stone. The Living Stone is an artifact of great power created by Brell Serilis the purpose of which was to stop the creatures from the Plane of the Underfoot from entering into the world. The residents of the old city once conducted experiments on the Living Stone, attempting to find a way to harness its power. The experiment damaged the wall of Living Stone and creatures began to breach the wall and threatened the city. The Erudites constructed The Hatch, a sort of life suppport system that kept the Living Stone strong after the earthen Lord Yael escaped and threatened their destruction with his army of elementals. Ognit sought to study both The Hatch and the wall of Living Stone. He felt that the Erudites were simply not qualified for that sort of study and indeed it would take the delicate adn careful touch of a gnome to properly study the artifact and perhaps find a way to harness its power. History has a way of repeating itself. Ognit considered the first of his experiments successful. He found that the wall of Living Stone was able to release enormous amounts of power, as evidenced by the tremendous earthquakes he was able to cause simply by infusing the Hatch with just a small amount of magical energy. Indeed, it seemed the two worked together like a transformer, turning small amounts of energy into tremendous surges of power. Though he had no idea how one could harness the released energy, he was impressed with the results nonetheless. Dagda was terrified and believed that the gnome was tinkering with powers beyond his comprehension. She threatened to leave them both down there, particularly when the experiments began to cause earthquakes of greater and greater magnitude. Against her better judgement, she stayed. Ognit saw the greater earthquakes as a sign that his experiments were going well. He was getting even better power output for the same amount of energy. Dabner eventually began to become frightened too and started to side with Dagda, urging the wizard to abandon the experiment. Ognit was incensed and no amount of convincing would deter him from his experimentation. ------------------------------------- Finally, the inevitable happened. Ognit channeled just a small amount of energy into the Hatch. It wasn't much, not even enoughto kill a moss snake. However this time, the Living Wall began to shudder spasmodically and took on a pale, sickly color. The earthquake that resulted was truly terrifying. Chunks of stone began falling from the ceiling and the ground itself began to be ripped apart. From the huge gashes in the earth, the three saw terrifying creatures emerge. All about them were sounds of shrieking, crying and bellowing. The noises were both of exclamations of excitement for finally being freed and rage for being imprisoned for such a long time. The three began to flee the hole in terror as the creatures began to swarm around them, their ears ringing from the unholy screams. As they made haste toward the surface, they came across a figure that looked to be an Erudite. The Erudite was walking slowly and limping slightly. He was filthy, covered with dirt and soot. His skin was pallid, as one who had not stood under the glare of harsh sunlight for ages. He wore a robe that was a splotchy brownish color. It was difficult to tell if this was the robe's original color or if it was the result of the filth that covered it. He turned quickly and upon seeing them, he spoke. "Gnomes,and a barbarian woman of all things! I don't know whether I should thank you or draw the full sum of the life-force from your bodies right here and now!" Dagda pushed her way past the two gnomes, putting herself between them and the Erudite. Facing the strange man she asked, "Who are you?" He folded his arms across his chest and smiled slightly. He raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "My name is Dartain of the Dark Truth. I don't suppose you have any idea of what you have just done? Or perhaps I should say undone, do you?" He seemed to stare through their souls with eyes fierce yet lined with weariness. "Your meddling has caused the Wall of Living Stone to weaken once again. Though your actions have finally allowed me to break free after being trapped for so many a year, you have also allowed many of the denizens that were imprisoned behind that wall to escape into the world again as well." Even in the dim light, Ognit's face became visibly paled. Dartain continued, "The Hatch is still unharmed and appears to be functioning as it should. I believe the wall will repair itself again in time. While the breach remains however, there will be a steady flow of creatures escaping from the underfoot. I suggest you make haste out of htis place and take warning to those above, so that they may prepare themselves." As he finished speaking, murky shadows made their way from the floor and encircled the dirty robes the strange man wore. As he disappear from view he softly muttered, "Finally I am free." ------------------------------------- The trio said not a word to each other, and continued at a dead sprint toward the surface as the sound of an army of creatures rumbled directly behind them. Reaching the top of the ruins, they held their breath as they jumped into the cold water and wriggled their way with panicked speed through the rocky underwater cavern that lead into the new city of Paineel. After emerging from the water,the first breath they took was used to issue forth a scream of terror. All around them, terrible creatures of rock and stone wandered in the open throughout the streets of the new city of Paineel. Already, cries of alarm could be heard being raised from deep within the bowels of the city. Even more alarming was the fact that the earth still seemed to be shaking, even after all this time. Dagda in an effort to warn the Heretics of the impending danger shouted, "Horrible creatures from the earth have broken loose! Run for your lives!" Dabner exclaimed, "Brell Serilis help us all! They are everywhere!" Dagda gave both gnomes a shove forward and yelled, "Go! Run!" The three began at a dead run once again. She kept behind the gnomes to make sure they were both still alive and running. As he ran, Ognit smacked himself in the forhead screaming, "Oh gods! What have I done! Just keep running everyone!" Guard Menbuknar and Heridion stood near the entrance to the new city of Paineel. The pair of skeletal sentries stood staring out over the grassy alcove through hollow eye sockets that were long without flesh or blood watching over the new city of Paineel in eternal service to their Heretic masters. "Nooiiissseey," Menbuknar said with a quiet disembodied voice like sandpaper in response to the sudden shouts. Guard Heridion took several steps forward and pointed, "Rooockssss." Hefting their swords above their head, the two skeletal guards shambled clumsily out into the courtyard and began to fight against the intruding earth elementals. As he swung away against the creatures made from earth itself, Menbuknar sniffed the air with a nose that wasn't there and rasped, Gnoommmessss." The Hole Uncovered: Elementals Attack Vol. I-II Al'Kabor had been spending his time researching in the Qeynos area. Though he preferred the superior research facilities and libraries of Erudin, he found the locals in the Qeynos area more then eager to assist him with trivial errands for a trifling handful of coins. Indeed, labor was cheap and the people generally hard working and honest in this law abiding town. One such errand runner, a half elf, had just returned carrying a vial full of a certain rare and difficult to obtain ink he was sent to fetch. He flipped the half elf a gold piece and said, "You are dismissed". The errand boy looked at the coin, smiled and then left Al'Kabor's flat happily. The ink was needed for a scroll he was nearly finished scribing. He had run out of the rare and precious ink just before he had completed his work on the scroll. He very carefully uncorked the bottle and set it upon the fine table of marble. Gently unrolling the precious scroll, he smoothed it lovingly out on the cool surface of the stone table. He dipped the quill, made from an enormous griffon feather, into the ink. He put the pen to the parchment and began to once again scribe the ancient runic symbols onto the parchment with slow and deliberate care. It started lightly, almost imperceptibly. He first thought that perhaps a mob of angry people were stomping up the stairs to his flat. But suddenly, everything was shaking violently. Books began to fall from their shelves, fine glassware fell to the ground and smashed. Gripping the heavy marble table to keep his balance, Al'Kabor watched in horror as the very bottle of very expensive and difficult to acquire ink rocked back and forth, rolled on its side for a moment and then tipped over. Frozen in shock, he watched as the ink spread out over the scroll. He slammed his fist onto the table as the realization dawned upon him, "Five days of work and components worth a mountain of platinum pieces, ruined by yet another one of these damned earthquakes!" He grabbed the ruined scroll he had been laboring upon for nearly a week, crumpled it up in his hand and tossed it out his window. In crumpling the scroll, he had inadvertantly covered his hands with the ink. Another earthquake hit, this one more violent then the last. Stumbling a bit, he caught himself on his coat rack in the corner of his study. The ink on his hands smeared onto the robe that hung upon the rack. Throwing his hands into the air he shouted, "I've had enough!" He wiped his hands clean on the old robe and threw it out the window too. Putting his best robe over his shoulders, he stomped downstairs out of his flat and into the streets of Qeynos. Tramping through the streets, he shouted, "How can anyone get any work done around here with all these earthquakes? This is completely unacceptable!" All around him, people were running and shouts of alarm filled the streets. Walking toward the gates of the city, he was oblivious to the broken glass on the ground and cracks in the fine stone masonry, all evidence of the quake's severity. Enraged, he grabbed a wood elf by the lapels as he tried to run past and yelled in his face, "You! Elf! What is causing these earthquakes? Hmm?" The elf looked back at him in fear and said nothing. "Oh why do I bother talking to one of your kind!" Releasing him, the elf ran away. Stepping through the city gates, he turned and inquired indignantly to the heavily armored Paladin next to him, "How am I supposed to think when every five minutes I have the full contents of my library on the floor, woman?" The Paladin gave him a sideways look, apparently offended, snorted to herself and then walked back into the city shaking her head. "Bah," he said making a dismissive gesture behind the woman as she left. He began walking down the path out of the city. The stones that made up the path were uneven, some raised up higher then others, no doubt due to the earthquake. "They should get someone to fix this," Al'Kabor muttered to himself. ---------------------------------- Suddenly, Al'Kabor found his feet had sunk into the ground a good foot or so and he was unable to walk. Surrounding him on four sides were small creatures that appeared to be made of earth itself. They grabbed at his robes and began pummeling him with their fists of rock and dirt. Without even thinking, blinded by the sheer audacity of these creatures to even dare assault the might Al'Kabor and dirty his best robe, he bagun to summon forth the magical energy to unleash his wrath upon these creatures. The small elementals, standing no taller then the shortest halflin, were each blasted to bits by the sheer power of the energy released in all directions by the mighty wizard. Clods of dirt and pebbles flying through the air were the only evidence that the creatures were even there a moment before. "Why are these elementals all over the place?" He pulled his feet free from the ground and walked over to a cleric of Rodcet Nife who was tending to another victim of the elemental attack who faired far worse then the wizard. "You! Cleric! Did these elementals rise from the ground or did somebody summon all of these?" The cleric finished bandaging the wounded traveler and said hurriedly, "Sir, I have no idea. Excuse me, many are hurt or in peril from this attack. I must take my leave." Al'Kabor shouted to no one in particular, "Bah! I'd gather more information from a wall then I would from you people!" He continued to walk up the stone path. Here and there earth elementals were assaulting folks outside the city in the hills of Qeynos. The Jagged Pine Treefolk from Surefall Glade were on full alert. The rangers and druids that called the glade home were doing their best to stem the tide of the elemental invasion. Wandering the hills, Al'Kabor walked about blasting any elemental he came across to kingdom come. He did this not in defense of the hills nor for any sort of loyalty to the fine city of Qeynos but more in retaliation for his days of lost work and as therapy for the general feeling of rage and displeasure he was experiencing. Today was not a good day at all and it was about to get much worse. ------------------------

The Hole Uncovered: Ognit Arrested Vol. I-IV

Al'Kabor was furious. He had lost nearly a week of hard work, lost research components that were expensive and difficult to find, had one of his favorite robes ruined and was assaulted by a gang of small upstart earth elementals. His day was not going well and was about to get worse.

He took a walk to the hills outside of the city of Qeynos as the elemental attack raged on and minor aftershocks from the huge quake rattled the lands. He annihilated any of the earthen beasts he came across. He did this not in defense of the hills nor for any sort of loyalty to Qeynos but more in retaliation for his days of lost work and as therapy for the general feeling of rage and displeasure he was experiencing that day.

In the distance he heard people calling out his name. "Good, perhaps now I will have some answers," he thought to himself. Walking back toward the city he saw a crowd of people running quickly toward him.

"Al'Kabor! There are two gnomes and a barbarian woman that are looking for you. They said it is very important," they told him.

Al'Kabor muttered, "Them. It figures." Then loudly he said, "Very well. Take me to them," he made a shooing gesture with his hands, as if to push the commoners along.

He followed the crowd back to the gates of Qeynos. There he saw the barbarian warrior, Dagda Icefury. With her were the gnomes, Ognit Eznertob and Dabner Drednever. Upon laying eyes upon the wizard, they ran right up to him. Their voices were panicked and they were all talking at the same time. It was impossible to tell who was saying what and why they were so upset.

"Al'Kabor!"

"We have terrible news!"

"Odus is in danger!"

"There was this wall and things from the ground and.."

"Something went wrong!"

"I didn't mean to do it!"

"They were everywhere! It was terrible and.."

Al'Kabor said, "One at a time please." He waited and still their frantic raving continued. Finally he screamed as loudly as he could, "Quit talking all at once!"

The three stopped suddenly. The wizard Ognitspoke. "I'll tell him. This was all my fault anyway."

Rolling his eyes Al'Kabor said, "Speak then, gnome."

Ognit began, "Well, we were all down in the ruins of Old Paineel. In the Hole. And you remember that Wall of Living Flesh that is way down there? Looks like a big face, you know?"

Al'Kabor balled his fists at his side. "Fool. Tell me that you were not meddling with The Wall!"

Ognit smiled sheepishly and continued, "Well yes. Actually I was to tell you the truth. I came across some writings that told of how your ancestors were trying to find a way to harness the power of that artifact and I thought I would try to continue that research."

Al'Kabor spat, "Ingrate! My ancestors were not Heretics! I've slew hundreds of those fools during the Great War so many years ago!" He glared at Ognit, his eyes flashing with a hideous fury, "You are no better then they it seems!"

Al'Kabor's hands began glowing with a deep red color and the sudden updraft of wind that swirled around them revealed the immensity of the power the wizard had at his disposal. The hairs on the back of Ognit's neck stood on end as the energy began to course and build around him. Ognit winced, expecting to be blasted to bits.

---------------------------------------

Al'Kabor took a deep breath and the energy that was gathered from the sheer rage of the mighty wizard dissipated. "Fool! Continue." Dagda turned a worried gaze upon the wizard, her hand slowly moving to her sword, just in case.

Dabner fidgeted nervously, shuffling his feet and wringing his gnomish hands. "Wow Al, you're really mad about this aren't you."

Ignoring the last few stressful moments completely Ognit said, "Ehem, yes. So anyway, I found that if I infused that Hatch thing that's attached to the wall with just the tiniest bit of magical energy it would act like a transformer and release HUGE amounts of power!"

Al'Kabor clenched both of his fists and relaxed them once again. "For your information gnome, that Hatch 'thing' you speak of was put in place to protect the Wall of Living Stone and to keep it alive and healthy!"

Al'Kabor continued, "The Heretics damaged the wall of Living Stone by trying to do the very same experiments! After they damaged it they put the Hatch in place to keep the wall alive and strong. The Hatch and the Wall of Living Stone prevent the creatures that inhabit the Plane of Underfoot from entering the world ever again. Your meddling has obviously weakened both."

Ognit nodded and said, "Well yes, of course. My experiments were going really well and I managed to get an amazing power output on my last attempt. That's when things turned badly."

Al'Kabor put the back of his hand to his forehead and asked in a tired voice, "So you damaged the Living Stone, weakened the Hatch and suddenly you were surrounded by denizens of the underfoot breaking loose and running pell-mell to the surface correct?"

"Well, that's about right," Ognit answered.

"No doubt those creatures were all waiting with baited breath for the moment the wall would be weakened sufficiently allowing for their escape again. I'm sure they were alerted the moment you've begun this madness," the wizard hypothesized.

Dabner raised his hand. The diminuative cleric of Brell Serillis said, "Ognit, tell him about that Dartain guy. He seemed pretty nice, except for that bit about draining our life force and stuff."

Al'Kabor turned a murderous glare upon the gnome, "Gods strike me dead now!" His voice dripping with sarcasm and spite he ordered, "Yes Ognit, please tell me about Dartain!"

A rather large crowd of people had gathered around the group and were listening intently to the discussion. One person in particular, another Erudite, seemed very interested in what was being discussed. So interested in fact, that he was writing furiously in a small booklet apparently recording every word that was said.

Ognit said nervously, "Yes, well, this Dartain fellow was an Erudite, like you."

Noticing the anger of Al'Kabor building again upon the comparison, Ognit corrected himself. "No! I take that back! He was nothing like you actually. Not like you, uhh, he was kind of spooky though. Not like you're not scary yourself."

Ognit stopped and stammered, "Umm. I didn't mean that like it sounded. Let me start over. Ok, so this Dartain guy was an Erudite." Al'Kabor took in breath as the name was repeated and his teeth ground audibly.

Ognit laughed nervously and then said, "Yes. So he said he was trapped for a long time in the Plane of Underfoot but he seemed really happy to finally be out of there. One the bright side, he told me that The Living Wall would heal itself in time. And he said that The Hatch was still functioning properly. So everything should be ok."

Ognit smiled, "You see, no harm done! A few days and everything should be back to normal!"

---------------------------------------

Al'Kabor was utterly silent and his face expressionless. A slight twitch in the corner of his mouth was his only movement.

Ognit asked, "Al'Kabor?"

Al'Kabor raised his fist, his eyes flashing in murderous rage as he looked upon the gnome, "Now I shall end your miserable gnomish life!" Wind charged with electricity seemed to blow directly up from the ground itself and enveloped the crowd as the wizards hands began to glow with sheer power. People began to take a few tentative steps backward.

At those words, the Erudite that was writing quickly put his book in his vest pocket and interposed himself between the gnome and Al'Kabor. The Erudite shouted, "Stay your hand wizard! I shall take it from here!"

The wind subsided as the energy drained away harmlessly. Al'Kabor recognized the man that shouted and he smiled to himself. Ognit saw that it wasn't a good smile. It was a smile that told him that is may have been better to have been blasted to bits.

The man identified himself, "I am Warden Lius of Erudin. I have been following these three since this catastrophe began!" He turned to the gnome and said in a commanding voice, "Ognit Eznertob! You are hereby under arrest for the crime of treason! You have imperiled the continent of Odus and have relased unto the world a heinous criminal, the heretic of old Dartain!"

The Warden bound Ognit'shands and feet in heavy chains. "I doubt that there will be a need for a trial. By your own admission made here this day, it is evident that you are guilty. Surely it will be 'The Hollowing' for you." Pushing the gnome roughly he commanded, "Move along criminal!"

As Ognit was led away, Dagda was surprised to find tears falling from her face. She knew that Ognit was guilty, yet she was not sure if execution was the just course of punishment in this situation. As a follower of The Tribunal, she was torn between her notions of justice and her loyalty and vow to protect her two gnomish friends. Indeed, she would rather that it was she who was being led away. At least she may have had the strength to break free and perhaps escape. She knew that the physically weak gnome would have no such chance and given that the Erudites are the most experienced and schooled in the use of magic, she had no doubt they would take every precaution to prevent his casting any spell. She felt truly hopeless.

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Dagda wiped her eyes and brought herself up to her full height. She asked Al'Kabor, "Who is this Dartain?"

Al'Kabor answered, "Dartain is one of the heretics. A heretic of old. He was among those that put The Hatch in place to repair the Wall of Living Stone. Through his own misfortune, he managed to get sealed on the other side of the wall in the Underfoot, while his companions were slaughtered to a man. He was able to complete the ritual from the Underfoot side and The Hatch was put in place successfullly. The Underfoot was sealed off from the rest of the world and the danger ended. Everyone assumed he was dead afterward, of course."

Dagda looked confused and stated, "He is certainly not dead. We saw him this day with our very eyes. Though he appeared pale and weak, I know that hot blood filled his veins. By what magic is he still alive after all this time?"

Al'Kabor looked up for a moment thoughtfully. He then hypothesized, "The Altered Planes are much different from our world here. It is indeed possible that by virtue of the elder magics that course throughout all of the Underfoot and the other Planes, that mortals age differently there."

Then he added, more to himself then to anyone else, "No doubt the Heretics will gain in strength with his release and I will not stand idly by while this happens. I must go and prepare. I can not allow Dartain to remain in this realm while I draw breath."

Al'Kabor stopped for a moment and stroking his chin reflectively said, "Perhaps some good will come of this. Maybe the denizens of the Underfoot will finally destroy the heretics in Paineel before The Living Wall is able to heal itself." He then walked away back through the city gates.

Dabner grabbed Dagda by the hand and cried, "Oh Dagda, what are we going to do? What about Ognit and Odus and Dartain and everything!"

Dagda was numb. "I don't know Dabner. I am at a loss and I can not think." Dagda began to walk into Qeynos through the gates leaving Dabner behind. Her sword hung limply in her hand.

"Dagda! Where are you going," he asked running after her.

She turned and facing him said, "I am returning to Toxxulia forest. I intend to fight the beasts from the earth and to try to keep them at bay until that wall is able to repair itself. Perhaps some combat will help to clear my head." Together both entered the city, making a beeline for the docks to book passage to the continent of Odus.

http://fossworld.ath.cx/lore/book_hole.html

Zanderon wrote:

Was the elemental invasion of Splitpaw also related to the underfoot?  I remember some lore from the change but cant find it now.

The Splitpaw invasion happened when the son of the gnoll ruler tried to summon the elementals to take over the throne (or equivalent). However, he couldn't control them, so they went wild and everyone was either taken prisoner, killed or forced to flee. I don't have any of the sources readily available to quote but if you want more lore about there's a monster mission starting in South Karana (forget the NPC name, but a gnoll close to the bridge to NK) where you play as gnolls going back into Paw to beat up elementals that tells some of the story.

The Loping Plains:

'What the dwarves do not suspect - and given their antipathy and contempt toward the gnolls, probably never will - is that the primitive inhabitants of the Loping Plains were once a far more sophisticated culture, and that their legendary ancient city truly does exist, although admittedly only as a sad remnant of its former glory. Long ago, during the Age of Monuments, Brell Serilis granted his gnolls this territory, bidding them use it for their own prosperity and his greater glory. In those days, they lived underground, but to honor Brell Serilis they set to work building a great stone fortress where their anointed leader, the gnoll queen known as the Mother of All, sat enshrined, served by legions of followers, blessing the conquests of her people. In time, the gnolls expanded their territory upon the surface world as much as they did in the caverns of the Underfoot, until eventually (and some gnoll lore-keepers say this is why the gnolls have suffered in recent centuries) they came to live more in the open air than in the homes originally granted to them by their father.'

'A MINERS TALE

THE CRYSTALLINE DRAGON TOOK FAVOR UPON THIS WORLD AND, LOVING IT, EMBRACED IT TIGHTLY, LEAVING HER MARK IN THE COLD WASTES OF VELIOUS. HERE, SHE MADE HER FIRST BROOD AND CURSED THE LAND WITH THEIR FRIGHTFUL PASSION. BUT THE DUKE OF BELOW WATCHED FROM HIS REALM AND KNEW AT ONCE THAT HE MUST MAKE HIS OWN MARK UPON THE WORLD OF NORRATH. HE WANDERED FOR DAYS IN THE UNDERFOOT, HIS MINIONS FOLLOWING AT HIS HEELS WITH LITTLE TO OFFER BUT HOLLOW COMFORT AND THE UNWAVERING LOYALTY FOR WHICH THEY HAD BEEN

CRAFTED. FINALLY, HE SAT UPON A GREAT STONE AND REACHED DOWN INTO THE WET EARTH. HE TOOK UP A HANDFUL OF CLAY AND BEGAN TO MOLD IT. HE ALWAYS CREATED HIS MINIONS IN THIS WAY - FROM THE EARTH ITSELF, THE SEDIMENT AND THE STONE. YET THIS TIME HE WISHED FOR MORE. HE WISHED FOR CHILDREN OF HIS OWN, WHO COULD THINK AND MAKE THEIR OWN WAY IN THIS WORLD, CHILDREN WHO COULD LIVE WITH THE POWER OF CHOICE.

SO THE DWARVES WERE MADE, BY BRELL SERILIS’ HAND. HE GAVE THEM LIFE, BUT ALSO A WILL OF THEIR OWN. THE FIRST WAS BORN WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNED ALL FROM BRELL THAT HE COULD. THE SECOND WAS BORN AS A COMPANION TO THE FIRST. MORE FOLLOWED, UNTIL THE UNDERFOOT BEGAN TO SEEM CROWDED, LESS APPROPRIATE A PLACE FOR BRELL’S NEW CHILDREN. AND UNLIKE HIS PREVlOUS MINIONS, THESE NEW FOLK DESIRED TO EXPLORE ELSEWHERE AND TO SEE THE WORLD BEYOND. BRELL GAVE THEM HIS BLESSING IN THEIR SEARCH AND MADE THEM GO OUT INTO THE WORLD, BUT MADE THEM ALSO TO ALWAYS KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE ABOUT THEM, FOR DRAGONS WERE EVER NEAR AND WOULD TEAR HIS CHILDREN LIMB FROM LIMB IF VEESHAN HAD HER WAY.

THE DWARVES DID AS BRELL INSTRUCTED,AND BUILT FOR THEMSELVES A HOME IN THE MOUNTAINS OF FAYDWER. THERE THEY TOOK FROM THE EARTH ALL THE PRECIOUS GEMS AND METALS THEY COULD FIND. THEY BUILT WEAPONS AND ARMOR AND HALLS OF SUCH SURPASSING BEAUTY THAT BRELL HIMSELF COMMISSIONED THEM TO CREATE HIS NEW PALACE. SO PLEASED HE WAS WITH HIS NEW RACE THAT BRELL BESTOWED THE HIGHEST HONOR UPON THEM, MAKING THEM THE HEAD SMITHS AND ARCHITECTS IN HIS SERVICE. THEY SERVED HIM BY CHOICE, AND NO GREATER LOVE WAS THERE IN HIS HEART THAN THAT HE HELD FOR THE DWARVES.

THE GOD’S PREVIOUS MINIONS, THOUGH, THE ELEMENTALS AND MINDLESS CONSTRUCTS, SOON LEARNED FROM THE DWARVES A WILL OF THEIR OWN - AND THEY BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ENVY WAS. IT IS SAID THAT, IN TIME, THESE MINIONS TRICKED THE NEW HEAD SMITHS OF BRELL SERILIS AND IMPRISONED THEIR SOULS WITHIN THEIR HAMMERS.

LOST THESE HAMMERS WERE, AND A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY, TOO ... UNTIL NOW.

I, KINLO STRONGARM, HAVE UNCOVERED A HAMMER DEEP WITHIN THE MOUNTAINS’ ROOTS, FAR BENEATH KALADIM. COMING UPON A STRANGE WALL OF STONE, I BEGAN TO DIG UNTIL I KNEW SOMETHING GREAT AND TERRIBLE LAY BEYOND. I DUG WITH PANIC AND FEAR; THE STORIES OF PAINEEL WERE ALWAYS IN MY MIND. DURST I DIG TOO DEEPLY, LEST I POKE A HOLE INTO THE UNDERWORLD AND RELEASE SOME DARK DEATH UPON KALADIM? YET I COULD NOT STOP. THE HAMMER I FOUND SOON ENOUGH, AND I KNEW IT WAS A SIGN FROM BRELL SERILIS HIMSELF. 

ONLY THEN DID I STOP DIGGING, AND QUICKLY REFILLED THE HOLE. SOMETHING IS DOWN THERE, SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING HORRIBLE. ONCE I HAD REGAINED MY SENSES, I COULD NOT BRING MYSELF EVEN TO LOOK UPON THE STRANGE ROCK. I WOULD BECOME NO DARTAIN; HIS DARK COURAGE WAS CERTAINLY NOT MINE. I AM BUT A SIMPLE MINER. I TELL NONE OF MY TALE FOR FEAR OF BEING BRANDED A MADMAN. OH, BUT THE HAMMER SPEAKS TO ME. IT TELLS ME THIS STORY I CARVE, THIS STORY I MUST HIDE AWAY UNTIL I CAN PROVE ITS TRUTH. 

AND THE HAMMER - OH! IT CRIES FOR FREEDOM, AND IT WONDERS WHY BRELL SERILIS HAS NOT HEARD ITS CRIES.'

In relation to Kurns Tower:

'Burynai society devotes itself to the darker aspects of the Duke of Below, Brell Serilis. The burynai believe that by digging in the ground they will find treasure Brell has left for them and that this treasure will make them strong. Someday, they will uncover the power that will allow them to fulfill the fate that Brell has for them, a fate that most burynai legends describe as a manifest destiny for the burynai to take over all ofNorrath, both above and below ground.'

Liched wrote:

In relation to Kurns Tower:

'Burynai society devotes itself to the darker aspects of the Duke of Below, Brell Serilis. The burynai believe that by digging in the ground they will find treasure Brell has left for them and that this treasure will make them strong. Someday, they will uncover the power that will allow them to fulfill the fate that Brell has for them, a fate that most burynai legends describe as a manifest destiny for the burynai to take over all ofNorrath, both above and below ground.'

 

At least that would give SOE reason to use the new Burynai model they created for SOD, other than the 2 Burynai in the Field of Scale LOL

Maybe the dracoliche model too, other than the current 1 that uses the new model (and is only in a single raid).

They could maybe do something with Kurn running off? A change to the timeline that someone missed maybe?

If someone has the book it is mentioned in, could they recount the Underfoot connection in Crushbone? I admit, that's what I'm most curious about.

Man, SOE made a good choice with this expansion. I was down poking at the rock of living wall in the Hole yesterday -- there's clearly a zone in spot there, and someone was GOING to be done there, I think. I'm glad Verant left all their bases covered lore-wise!

Reridore wrote:

If someone has the book it is mentioned in, could they recount the Underfoot connection in Crushbone? I admit, that's what I'm most curious about.

Man, SOE made a good choice with this expansion. I was down poking at the rock of living wall in the Hole yesterday -- there's clearly a zone in spot there, and someone was GOING to be done there, I think. I'm glad Verant left all their bases covered lore-wise!

I won't type it all out because it covers a pretty big portion of the beginning of the book, but the main character is a Dark Elf enchanter who was one of the origional Elddar Elves that was captured with the king and queen and tortured by Innoruuk to become a dark elf, but he had redeemed himself.

The main character is trying to play political games to keep the Combine empire from destroying the orcs of Crushbone, even using an orc illusion to influence the orcs and help them win.  You find out that Seru's pet witch is seeking a cavern below Crushbone that Ataaltaal (sp?) is trying to keep hidden, because it leads to a secret entrance to the Underfoot where the origional and super-powerful Dark Elves first created by Innoruuk have a stronghold.

That sounds like terrible fan fiction.

Dysentery wrote:

That sounds like terrible fan fiction.

LOL The majority of that book was about Seru's poisoning of Katta, and the stuff leading up to that.  The Crushbone portion of the story was only a few chapters at the beginning.

The book also mentions that the combine empire escaped via the spires at Velious, it could mean GD but it appears to be a mistake and really it should be Kunark/Dreadlands.

Item Name: Underfoot Musings
'Underfoot is the name of the
plane ruled by the god Brell
Serilis, sometimes known as
the Duke of Below. His plane
is believed to be a veritable
warren of caves and caverns,
tunnels and underground lakes.
Brell is thought by the
dwarves to have been their
creator, and is worshipped by
those diminutive beasts.

Brell's handiwork is believed
to be responsible for the
ruination of our former city
in the cliff walls of the
Hole. The living rock dis-
covered in the area of the
blast which loosed the hordes
of deathbringers upon us bears
magical energies consistent
with his powers. Many of the
creatures that emerged from that holo-
caust were earthly in nature
as well, which supports the
theory.

Some learned scholars among us
believe that the explosion was
the result of magical con-
struction conflicting with the
energies of Brell within a
specimen of living rock, no
doubt created by that god.
There has been speculation on
the reason for its existence,
to include the possibility
that it hides some secret
passageway or portal. The
dangers involved in exploring
the area have, so far,
prevented us from determining
that for certain.'

'Serpent’s Spine: According to legend, the Serpent’s Spine is the mountain range that Solusek Ro raised in order to bring the beating sun down upon Tunaria (the land now known as the Desert of Ro). The mountains themselves are dangers, and the rugged creatures that inhabit them are no less so. Orcs, cyclops, aviaks, and other creatures make homes in the mountains; more dangerous still are powerful earth elementals that frequent the deeper gorges of the Serpent’s Spine. Scholars believe that when SolusekRo raised the mountains, he might have also damaged the deep layer of Living Stone that Brell Serilis erected to stop the creatures from the Plane of Underfoot from entering Norrath. Scholars theorize that any instability in the barrier caused by the movement of the mountains might further cause weakness in the Living Stone beneath the mountains, allowing creatures of Underfoot passage into Norrath, not unlike the Hole on Odus.'

Reridore wrote:

If someone has the book it is mentioned in, could they recount the Underfoot connection in Crushbone? I admit, that's what I'm most curious about.

Man, SOE made a good choice with this expansion. I was down poking at the rock of living wall in the Hole yesterday -- there's clearly a zone in spot there, and someone was GOING to be done there, I think. I'm glad Verant left all their bases covered lore-wise!

'Whatever the exact nature of the arcane knowledge she sought, Rashalla no doubt intended to breach an entry toward the Underfoot of Norrath. However Rashalla came by the information, she clearly knew that the caves below Crushbone could indeed transport her all the way to the dark-elven city of Neriak. The underground river was treacherous in many locations, and hence the dark elves themselves had explored only a fraction of it, but that simply made it an even more suitable means to secretly gain entrance to the city. 

Which is exactly why Aataltaal needed to secure its safety, which meant keeping it safe from Rashalla. If she used it now, then when they detected her entry, the Tier`Dal would take steps to guard the river against outsiders. The shaman`s eyes darkened. He did not need it yet, but he would. Someday.'

There ya go buddy page 48

The only subterranean rivers you'll find that go beneath oceans are filled with magma, I'd wager.

Dysentery wrote:

The only subterranean rivers you'll find that go beneath oceans are filled with magma, I'd wager.

That reads like the river is travelling through the Underfoot.

In relation to the Tier`Dal of the underfoot:

'A journal on another table points to the Underfoot Teir’Dal as having destroyed many dwarven strongholds, all as revenge against Brell for neglecting to include Innoruuk in the initial seeding of races on Norrath during the First Age.'

...

'In time, the newly created Teir’Dal were deposited, along with their Thex monarchs, deep in Norrath’s underfoot realm, with Naythox and Cristianos were charged to fulfill Innoruuk’s vengeance against the elder races and spread hatred and discontent across the land. These Teir’Dal came to be known among later generations as the First, or Firstborn. Such ancient Teir’Dal still possessed their knowledge and skill from previous lives, but now they used their powers and learned new skills as well, all in service to the Prince of Hate. This knowledge became the foundation to rapidly build the new race of elves into an engine of terrible power.'

...

'Miles beneath Norrath’s surface, the Teir’Dal were forced to compete with all manner of fierce creatures within a deadly environment. The dark elves encountered Brell’s children within the underfoot, destroying many dwarven strongholds before the dwarves were able to erect sufficient defenses. Teir’Dal histories also claim that they infected several isolated dwarven clans with their hatred, turning the dwarves from Brell to Innoruuk, as they themselves had turned, although no evidence of this attempt being successful has ever surfaced. As the Teir’Dal multiplied and conquered, led by the powerful Firstborn, Innoruuk’s power grew. After establishing a firm foothold in the underfoot, though, the Teir’Dal began to bicker and quarrel with one another. Having been transformed from the sometimes arrogant Tunarean elves by direct exposure to the very essence of hatred, it was only natural that they should be very competitive amongst themselves. This behavior did not manifest fully until after they had first carved out a kingdom within the depths of the underfoot. In a relatively short time, the Teir’Dal became so consumed with infighting that they were not exacting Innoruuk’s vengeance upon the children of the other gods. The hatred of the Teir’Dal had become focused inward. Even after moving from deep within the underfoot to a position within easy striking distance of the surface realm, they still warred with one another. Within the new city of Neriak, Teir’Dal noble houses fought continuously. Within decades, being so far away from their dark god’s strong ruling hand and so bloodthirstily caught up in fighting amongst themselves, the population of Teir’Dal on Norrath began to dwindle. Clerics of Innoruuk prophesized the destruction of the dark elf race within a decade if their internal battles continued unchecked. At this point in history, Rallos Zek’s minions were emerging as the dominant force on Norrath. It appeared to be just a matter of time before the Rallosian Empire found and destroyed the Teir’Dal.' 

...

'Recently, a new district in the Plane of Hate has become hostile to that of the First. Teir’Dal from the realm of the Underfoot, where Innoruuk seeded the Firstborn Teir’Dal upon Norrath, claim that the First are in fact impure, still having light elf blood in their veins, and that the Underfoot Teir’Dal are in fact Innoruuk’s first and most loyal “pure" Teir’Dal. The hatred between the District of the First and the District of the Three has heated up to the point of open warfare. The First can usually be identified by their distinctive dress, usually wearing light elf armor and garments from their previous lives as a form of mockery to any light elves they may encounter. Despite the claims of the Underfoot Teir’Dal, the First are still feared or at least respected by most Teir’Dal and monstrous servants of Innoruuk alike, for they are typically very skilled and knowledgeable'

...

'Even among the Teir’Dal, as among the light elves of Norrath, the Three are legend. They were a part of the vanguard that helped ensure the survival of the Firstborn Teir’Dal race after Innoruuk set them in the unforgiving realm of Underfoot. Though the Teir’Dal did eventually find their way near to the surface of Norrath to found their capital of Neriak, however, not all Teir’Dal left the Underfoot. '

...

'Over the intervening decades and centuries, but more commonly in recent years, numerous groups of these Underfoot Teir’Dal have journeyed to the Plane of Hate to serve Innoruuk and have come to occupy the District of the Three. After witnessing light elves transformed into Firstborn by the plane’s aura, certain groups of the Underfoot Teir’Dal decided that being Firstborn was not so much a sign of honor as a mark of inferiority. Rather than “true” dark elves, such as those sent to Norrath to survive, the First are merely light elves with a new skin (and, admittedly, a bad temper). As a result of these arguments, hostilities have escalated between the sturdy Underfoot Teir’Dal of the District of the Three and the “unsuitably arrogant” elves of the District of the First. The Underfoot Teir’Dal also see dark elves from Neriak and other “surface-bound” cities as being soft and weak. As a result, even PCs who are Teir’Dal are greeted with hostility by the Teir’Dal of this district. The lord of the district is seemingly unconcerned with the views of the Underfoot Teir’Dal, caring only to visit harm upon any who venture into his abode. Fortunately, the legend of the Three still keeps even these upstart Teir’Dal in check for now.'

...

'Underfoot Teir’Dal

The Teir’Dal who dwell in the Underfoot realm are not terribly different in appearance from those who live closer to Norrath’s surface, except they are perhaps slightly hardier looking. They also tend to be rather more xenophobic than other “softer” Teir’Dal — who are not averse to using humans, trolls, and ogres, for instance, in their nefarious schemes. The only people Underfoot Teir’Dal normally tolerate are other Underfoot Teir’Dal. The dark elves of the deep Underfoot have lived near rich supplies of adamantite for many centuries, so that this material is much more common among them — virtually all Underfoot Teir’Dal leaders in the Underfoot, even those of relatively minor rank, have armor and weapons of various adamantite alloys. All of the Teir’Dal of this district, being the elite of the Norrathian elite, thus wear Teir’Dal cultural armor or better. The dark color of adamantite cultural armor thus distinguishes the appearance of Underfoot Teir’Dal in the Plane of Hate from that of the First or of the Teir’Dal of Neriak.'

...

'Inside this building awaits one of the most influential Underfoot Teir’Dal on the Plane of Hate, the dread assassin Z’Jrix, along with 3 of his most trusted and able allies. Lord Z’Jrix recently received orders from Innoruuk himself — although the dark elf has not made the true source of his commands known — to defend the plane from invaders and to sow the seeds of hatred. Therefore, Z’Jrix is planning a raid into the city of Neriak very soon; in the meantime, however, since Innoruuk did not specify where the Underfoot Teir’Dal were to sow hatred, Z’Jrix has cultivated open war between the Underfoot Teir’Dal of this district and the other inhabitants of Hate.'

...

'Hateful Propaganda This stone building has had blood-smeared massages scrawled all over it. Hanging from the walls are the corpses of Teir’Dal dressed in the regalia of ancient light elves, each with wooden signs staked through their chests. A character who can read Old Teir’Dal may read both the scrawls upon the walls (which are various bits of hate-filled curses and vitriol against all who are not Underfoot Teir’Dal), and the inscriptions upon the wooden plaques, which is the same on each elf: “The First are frauds. See here their fate.'

...

'The prisoner is Vaxgar (Paladins of Underfoot), the last living of a string of dwarven prisoners recently brought by the Teir’Dal from a raid into the Underfoot. Vaxgar is a pious warrior faithful to Brell, and the leader of the dwarves captured by the Teir’Dal — his clan has been virtually decimated (a few escaped, but Vaxgar does not know this). If freed, he asks modestly if the PCs might return him home to the Underfoot. However, he will agree to join the party in their fight against the denizens of this plane, especially any Teir’Dal, until he can be transported back to Norrath. If asked, Vaxgar tells of how his people’s region in the Underfoot has been attacked periodically for centuries by the powerful and evil Teir’Dal, driving the splintered clans of his people deeper into the earth to find refuge.'

...

'These Teir’Dal were sent by Queen Cristianos Thex of Neriak to investigate reports of the Underfoot Teir’Dal being ceded their own district in the Plane of Hate. Neriak’s leaders are concerned that they have lost favor with Innoruuk and seek to learn how to undermine these “upstart” Teir’Dal to regain favor. All attempts to interact with the Underfoot Teir’Dal in the district of the Three thus far have been met with open violence. The First have become so annoyed with the Underfoot Teir’Dal that they provide sanctuary for these emissaries.'

I didnt realize just how well the Ocean of Tears book fit with that lore.  I hadn't read those exerpts in game yet.

Those last tier dal ones were from EQRPG - Plane of Hate Loads of underfoot references! Any more search keywords? Got the whole lot on pdf from drivethru

Man! I feel like you could make a whole other game on all this lore. If this expansion isn't something fierce, I'll be really disappointed.

Great lore digging! Really sounds promising.

Liched wrote:

The book also mentions that the combine empire escaped via the spires at Velious, it could mean GD but it appears to be a mistake and really it should be Kunark/Dreadlands.

The only spires in velious are broken, and were the topic of one server wide event with Al'Kabor in which he handed out the staff of Al'Kabor artifact on each server. I'm not sure of any lore on that subject but those spires are there for a reason and they just plain don't work now...

                                                           Liveye (lvl 80 Wizard)

Codeguru wrote:

Liched wrote:

The book also mentions that the combine empire escaped via the spires at Velious, it could mean GD but it appears to be a mistake and really it should be Kunark/Dreadlands.

The only spires in velious are broken, and were the topic of one server wide event with Al'Kabor in which he handed out the staff of Al'Kabor artifact on each server. I'm not sure of any lore on that subject but those spires are there for a reason and they just plain don't work now...

                                                           Liveye (lvl 80 Wizard)

I know there has been some debate here on the boards about who actually created the spires.  There are a couple different structural differences between different spires, and many thing that Grieg was only making copies of a pre-existing artifact.

Zanderon wrote:

Codeguru wrote:

Liched wrote:

The book also mentions that the combine empire escaped via the spires at Velious, it could mean GD but it appears to be a mistake and really it should be Kunark/Dreadlands.

The only spires in velious are broken, and were the topic of one server wide event with Al'Kabor in which he handed out the staff of Al'Kabor artifact on each server. I'm not sure of any lore on that subject but those spires are there for a reason and they just plain don't work now...

                                                           Liveye (lvl 80 Wizard)

I know there has been some debate here on the boards about who actually created the spires.  There are a couple different structural differences between different spires, and many thing that Grieg was only making copies of a pre-existing artifact.

Pretty sure all the spires were already there except the ones in Griegs End and the Pyramid shaped ones like the one in Commonlands?

Rolfron Zek, The Hollow God

Often called, "the Forlorn" or "the Prince of Despair," Rolfron Zek was a kobold elder shaman of Brell Serilis when the Duke of Below turned his back on the kobolds in favor of his other creations. Rolfron’s rage was embraced by Rallos Zek, who granted Rolfron tremendous power and made him the Prince of Despair. Rolfron is said to be an albino that wields a sword forged by Rallos Zek from the blackened remains of Rolfron’s very soul. Rolfron dwells in the shadow of Rallos Zek, inflicting despair and hopelessness on the victims and enemies of war.

Possiblities, no?

Liched wrote:

Zanderon wrote:

Codeguru wrote:

Liched wrote:

The book also mentions that the combine empire escaped via the spires at Velious, it could mean GD but it appears to be a mistake and really it should be Kunark/Dreadlands.

The only spires in velious are broken, and were the topic of one server wide event with Al'Kabor in which he handed out the staff of Al'Kabor artifact on each server. I'm not sure of any lore on that subject but those spires are there for a reason and they just plain don't work now...

                                                           Liveye (lvl 80 Wizard)

I know there has been some debate here on the boards about who actually created the spires.  There are a couple different structural differences between different spires, and many thing that Grieg was only making copies of a pre-existing artifact.

Pretty sure all the spires were already there except the ones in Griegs End and the Pyramid shaped ones like the one in Commonlands?

IIRC, the combine studied the great spires and used that knowledge to make the lesser spires.  The shissar also had some form of teleportation magic.

Here's another passage from "The Ocean of Tears":

"Emporer Katta had made the journey as easy as possible for the dark elves.  With thier permission, he'd constructed one of the great teleportation spires within the Nektulos Forest, the goomy, mist-shrouded woods that surrounded the only commonly known entrace to underground Neriak, the capital of the dark elves. [I just want to point out that the spires in Nektulos are the pyramid-with-spires type.] 

At least it was the capital as far as most of Norrath realized.  More dark elves were located deeper in the earth, close to the Underfoot region that was controlled by the god Bristlebane [typo here, he meant Brell ].  But Aataltaal had failed centuries ago in his battle in the ancient city of Narthex'Hiz located there.  Its ruler was a lich now, and Aataltaal had decided to focus his attention on Neriak.

That's why the entrance at Crushbone was so important.  Even so, an entnrace to Narthex'Hiz also remained, also hidden because of measures undertaken by Aataltaal in the past.  A great bay on eastern Tunaria now controlled by pirates served to conceal this route.  Few noticed, let alone questioned Aataltaal's protection of this place as he quietly nudged expeditions to Tunaria toward other ports."

Later in the book, the pirate city (Weille) is overtaken by the Combine after the attack on Katta by Seru, and it is called Landing then later Freeport.

Zanderon wrote:

Here's another passage from "The Ocean of Tears":

 

"Emporer Katta had made the journey as easy as possible for the dark elves.  With thier permission, he'd constructed one of the great teleportation spires within the Nektulos Forest, the goomy, mist-shrouded woods that surrounded the only commonly known entrace to underground Neriak, the capital of the dark elves. [I just want to point out that the spires in Nektulos are the pyramid-with-spires type.] 

At least it was the capital as far as most of Norrath realized.  More dark elves were located deeper in the earth, close to the Underfoot region that was controlled by the god Bristlebane [typo here, he meant Brell ].  But Aataltaal had failed centuries ago in his battle in the ancient city of Narthex'Hiz located there.  Its ruler was a lich now, and Aataltaal had decided to focus his attention on Neriak.

That's why the entrance at Crushbone was so important.  Even so, an entnrace to Narthex'Hiz also remained, also hidden because of measures undertaken by Aataltaal in the past.  A great bay on eastern Tunaria now controlled by pirates served to conceal this route.  Few noticed, let alone questioned Aataltaal's protection of this place as he quietly nudged expeditions to Tunaria toward other ports."

Later in the book, the pirate city (Weille) is overtaken by the Combine after the attack on Katta by Seru, and it is called Landing then later Freeport.

Now that has promise.