Altar of Malice Zone Lore Preview: Tranquil Sea

From master of live events and senior designer Nathan “Kaitheel“, we have our first zone preview for the upcoming Altar of Malice expansion. And before anyone asks, this is NOT repurposed zone geometry, but an entirely new continent developed with the new Terrain Tool.

Long had the Far Seas Trading Company provided Norrath’s displaced citizens a place of refuge, an island where they found respite from the chaos of the Shattered Seas, before being transported to the last great cities of Freeport and Qeynos. But strange tidings came and without another word, the seafaring merchants stopped honoring the Pact of Tserrin. The refugees that should have been arriving at the cities’ docks were replaced by rumors and speculation.

For years, the mystery remained.

Meanwhile, the future of Norrath hung in the balance of Age’s End, forcing tenuous alliances to be forged, and inevitably broken between the kingdoms. When all seemed lost, the great heroes of Norrath pushed the squabbling rulers aside, taking matters into their own hands. Kerafyrm the Awakened, the great Prismatic dragon, fell at last!

Continue reading after the jump…

A cautious optimism replaced fear within the cities, as they were no longer besieged by the Awakened Legion. But even with the great prismatic wyrm trapped within the reformed grip of Luclin, and his army scattered to the winds, all was not well.

Tension between the great nations of Freeport and Qeynos was such that anything might spark the fires of another war. And yet, perhaps thankfully, the long struggle with the Awakened had depleted much of their ability to wage a successful battle.

This was unacceptable! The two states weighed their options knowing they must secure supplies as preparation for the inevitable. They looked to the Far Seas Traders’ seemingly unlimited coffers and saw their answer. Unbeknownst to each other, Lucan D’Lere and Antonia Bayle each sent an emissary to seek an audience with their leader, Duke Jaesten Ferrin. Such a harmless thing, such a small thing, and yet will this order prove to be our undoing?

When no word from their representatives returned, the monarchs grew alarmed. They called upon heroes of past battles to venture within the Shattered Seas to find their emissary, and establish a new pact with the trading company before their adversary could do the same.

What awaited the heroes was no longer an isle of refuge within the Tranquil Sea. Something terrible and chaotic had befallen the island, changing its very nature! The few survivors had no words to explain the disaster. But the heroes were not deterred. They began to piece together the clues, and learned that the authority of the Far Seas on the Isle of Refuge, one Captain Greymast, had escaped the calamity and fled the island, leaving a trail of guilt behind him.

The heroes’ search for Greymast took them on an odyssey further on the waters, to islands never before visited by those outside the Far Seas Trading Company!

Death Weave Isle – a lush island inhabited by feral beasts; part bear, part spider, the urzarach threaten every soul who dares come ashore, successfully keeping prying eyes from finding Brokenskull Bay – a secret pirate harbor boasting equal parts treasure and curses!

What was once a single volcanic island has since destroyed itself in a cataclysmic eruption leaving two distinct islands, the southern of which lies within Tranquil Sea – South Dshinn. Within the savage lands that remain is a fearsome tribe of pygmies who live in awe of the deinodons, large prehistoric creatures that share the land with them. Unfortunately, the Allu’thoa, a tribe of zealot lizard-men, do not hold any respect for the deinodons or pygmies. They have crawled out from their subterranean home of Zavith’loa, their fervor galvanized by religious prophecy, with the sole purpose of claiming the land as their own.

Knowing that they are hot on Captain Greymast’s heels, the determined heroes set sail from South Dshinn and Tranquil Sea, and head for North Dshinn. What awaits them within Phantom Sea may carry great consequences for the great kingdoms of the Shattered Lands.

Altar of Malice launches on November 25, 2014. If you’re an All-Access member, you’ll have the ability to purchase and play this expansion two weeks early, starting on Tuesday, November 11, 2014! Are you ready to explore the Tranquil Sea and the other zones in Altar of Malice?

~~Nathan “Kaitheel” McCall