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Before recorded time, Veeshan the great Crystalline Dragon marked Norrath by striking
the continent of Velious with her foreclaw, and deposited her brood there to dwell. The
legends of that time also tell that Veeshan blasted Velious with her breath, encasing it
in eternal ice and creating a barrier of deadly ice flows and stormy weather. This
marked the beginning of the Age of Scale. The Age of Scale lasted untold millennia. From
the tidbits of information passed down, it is known that a group of dragons mastered
magic and spellcasting during this era. Additionally, dragons of power and influence
among their kind gathered together and formed a hereditary ruling council known as the
Claws of Veeshan, who rule the dragons of Velious to this day. Few of Norrath’s
inhabitants know more of this Age, and none that do would dare to speak.
The end of the Age of Scale was marked by the Gods creation of the other races of
Norrath. Many of Veeshan’s vainglorious brood perceived that they might rule over these
lesser beings and left Velious. This splinter group became known as the Ring of Scale.
Those dragons that remained upon Velious had little interest in temporal power, and were
content to pass the millennia in homage to their goddess, and in quiet contemplation and
the study of magics.
In the Elder Age, the Ogres, Giants and Goblins conquered much of Norrath and began an
assault on the Plane of Earth, precipitating retribution from The Rathe in the form of a
great curse against all of Rallos Zek’s creations. The fertile homelands of the Giants
(now known as Everfrost) were frozen, and those giants caught in the epicenter of the
curse were transformed wholly into immortal creatures of living ice. Those nearby were
struck to the core of their beings, becoming lesser creatures in mind and body than they
had been. Those few who escaped the effects fled Tunaria for other lands, coming to the
attention of Prexus the Oceanlord, who sent a great storm to destroy them. The storm
drove many ships back to Tunaria and to Kunark, where the curse of The Rathe took hold
to a lesser degree than in Everfrost. Many of the most powerful giants managed to escape
the storm thanks to their great powers, and passed through the Frigid Barrier to land
upon the Icy Fingers in Velious. The Kromrif established themselves in the Eastern
Wastes and lived as nomads, eventually coming into conflict with the Coldain. The
Kromzek were the most powerful of all Rallos Zek’s creations. Not content with a nomadic
lifestyle, they established a mighty fortress city named Kael Drakkal in the Great Scar
of Veeshan. The Claws of Veeshan took exception to the intrusion of the Kromzek upon
their sacred lands, and thus began the long conflict between the two mightiest races on
Norrath, in this most inhospitable of all places. Ages passed, leaving the eastern
regions of Velious largely in the control of the Giants. It was during this time that
the ships of the Coldain, or Ice Dwarves, were wrecked upon the ice of the Frigid
Barrier. Those few who survived to reach the shore escaped the notice of the Claws of
Veeshan, but were devastated in a conflict with the fearsome Kromrif. Fleeing the
giants, the Coldain established Thurgadin, a hidden underground fortress in the
mountains. Since these times, none of the other races of Norrath have dared to approach
the Frigid Barrier, and thus Velious remained undiscovered.
In the present day, the Gnomes of Ak’anon have revealed an ocean vessel with the
capability of navigating the roughest seas and breaking through ice flows. Upon it’s
maiden voyage, the Gnomish Icebreaker successfully penetrated the Frigid Barrier and
discovered the islands known as the Icy Fingers. Upon the largest of the islands, the
crew discovered an ancient and massive bridge, which arced away into the mists and
revealed the tip of a massive glacial continent – Velious! For a price, these Gnomes and
their allies will offer the brave adventurers of Norrath passage to these frozen,
uncharted lands. |
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