Lore · Continents & Moons
Alaris & the Veil
Veil of Alaris (2011) did something EverQuest had not done in years: it opened an entirely new continent, with its own gods.
Unveiled
Alaris is a continent long hidden by magic. Ten Ton Hammer’s preview, written after a tour with the developers, says Norrath’s dragons concealed it, and that when players permanently defeated Cazic-Thule in House of Thule, the continent was “unveiled.” The official announcement promised that even the gods would be threatened by the forces found there. Veil of Alaris launched November 15, 2011.
Sources: Allakhazam: Veil of Alaris overview · EverQuest.com: Announcing Veil of Alaris (2011) · Ten Ton Hammer: Veil of Alaris hands-on preview (2011)
Airships to a new world
Brell Serilis commissioned the gnomes to build giant airships to carry adventurers to Alaris. The first stop is Argath, Bastion of Illdaera, a battle-scarred mountain fortress dedicated to the Alaran god of war and battle.
Sources: Ten Ton Hammer: Veil of Alaris hands-on preview (2011) · Allakhazam: Veil of Alaris overview
Gods that need belief
Here is the twist: Norrath’s gods draw their power from their planes, but Alaran gods need belief. Argath’s citizens, tired of years of war, have turned to trade, and their war god is weakening. The neighboring City of Bronze has used the confusion of the Norrathians’ arrival to attack, and Argath has to turn to outsiders. Players even had to learn the Alaran language through quests to reach deeper into the continent.
Sources: Ten Ton Hammer: Veil of Alaris hands-on preview (2011) · Allakhazam: Veil of Alaris overview
Erillion, the City of Bronze
The official zone preview calls Erillion, the City of Bronze, “a bastion of order and law,” designed so every building reflects those ideals and presenting “a façade of perfection.” From its broad avenues to its imposing city hall, “nothing is permitted to deviate from its purpose.” This is the city that attacks Argath in the confusion of the Norrathians’ arrival.
Sources: Library of Erudin: Alaris (Veil of Alaris Zone Preview: Erillion, City of Bronze)
Rubak Oseka and a hero made god
Alaran gods are made, not born. Rubak Oseka, Temple of the Sea, is dedicated to “one of the greatest heroes of the Alaran people now ascended into godhood,” and is shared by the priests of Oseka and the Hadal. The temple is a twisted conch shell grown to mythical size, and SOE’s preview openly called Oseka a “challenger of the Norrathian deities.”
Sources: Library of Erudin: Alaris (Veil of Alaris Zone Preview – Rubak Oseka, Temple of the Sea)
Argath, first stop
SOE’s Argath preview calls the mountain fortress the first stop for most adventurers on Alaris. Its imposing walls and grand scale “should leave one feeling safe and serene, but invaders threaten and momentous events are beginning to take place.”
Sources: Library of Erudin: Alaris (Veil of Alaris Zone Preview – Argath, Bastion of Illdaera)
How much is known
The written lore of Alaris is thin. The Library of Erudin lists only a few official texts for the continent, mostly these 2011 zone previews, so most of the story lives in the expansion’s quests rather than books or articles. We’ve kept this page to what those sources say and haven’t filled the gaps.
Where the sources disagree
- Fanra’s wiki quotes a fan summary (from Tharkis.com) saying the Alarans came from another plane, were driven to Norrath by Discord in the Age of Scale, and that their gods sacrificed themselves to move them and raise the veil. We have not confirmed this in an official text.
- Ten Ton Hammer calls the rival city “Erlonn”; Allakhazam lists it as Erillion, City of Bronze.
Keep reading
Retold in our own words from the sources linked under each chapter; short quotes are marked and sourced. The illustration is an original AI-generated painting made for this page alone, not from the game.