The Broodlands and the Lairs

The Broodlands

A 2010 official zone guide says the valley has served as a nursery for dragon eggs since ancient times. Mountains close it in on every side to keep the eggs safe, and it is lush and green except where it meets places such as Lavastorm. The lake in the middle is the main landmark for characters of levels 40 to 60, and an island in it leads to the Nest.

The guide points out two sights. Veeshan’s Broken Claw is a shattered statue of a claw, hidden in the swamps. The Dragon Road is an ornate stone path that winds around the lake and climbs to the temple on the mountain.

A zone database lists it as an outdoor zone for levels 40 to 60, with a drop on the lake island into the Nest itself. Its instanced mission versions are listed on Dragons of Norrath; another site says Thundercrest Isles has several exits back to the valley.

Sources: EverQuest.com (2010): Into the Depths of the Broodlands · Allakhazam: The Broodlands (zone) · Rasper's Realm: Thundercrest Isles

What lives in the valley

Fan maps mark Dirtdigger goblins, brood drones, stone dervishes, Lavawalker spiders and frostfang drakes. Named creatures on the map are Grel Strongboom, Sandpaw, Snowclaw, Snowbrow, Frostfoot, Flamefist, Viridix, Sandrender Xigazn, The Jungle Walker and The Broodqueen, and the zone database names the Broodqueen, Viridix, Sandpaw and Snowclaw too. The maps flag the Broodqueen as a raid creature, note the instanced raid In the Shadows, and mark three Dragon Statues, Desert, Ice and Swamp, with sets of Earth, Fire, Water and Wind stones.

A task called Journey of Yar`Lir starts here. A quest walkthrough says it begins with a Symbol of Yar`Lir dropped by a smoke dervish, leads to the four circles and the dragon stones, and ends with a Guardian appearing at a dragon statue.

Sources: EQ map files (Brewall Rainsinger maps) · Allakhazam: The Broodlands (zone)

The Accursed Nest

In the transcribed Keepers dialogue, the chieftain sends players to look into a curse in the Nest and learn about a dark drake called Ju`rek. Once the curse is looked into, he says a dragon in the Nest has yet to be faced.

He explains that when Yar`Lir’s magic was broken, the winding caverns of the Nest lay fully open and a sickly darkness swept over them. The curse got loose at that moment and touched and darkened the Nest’s dragon, and the Keepers know nothing more.

The zone database lists the instanced missions Circle of Drakes, Clues, Dragon’s Egg, In the Shadows, Lair of the Blackwing, Lost Comrades, Origins of the Curse, Rampaging Monolith, Rival Party, Rivals, Scrap Metal, Spider’s Eye, The Curse of Ju`rek and Web of Lies. Fan maps mark a Hatching Room, a Cursebringer Room, a dervish room, pits, a dry riverbed, glowing dragon statues and four Aspect markers for Armor, Magic, Power and Protection, along with Eggtender Nim, Hatchery Guard Pip, T`Shara and guardians such as Adel`ek, Kerosek, Defender Tyothil, Seism and Temblor. An emulator database lists the raid creatures Vishimtar the Fallen, Ju`rek the Corrupted, the Rampaging Monolith and T`Shara, with a Circle of Drakes event.

Sources: Pak'Cafan: Dragons of Norrath progression (dialogue transcription) · Allakhazam: The Broodlands (zone) · EQ map files (Brewall Rainsinger maps) · eqlibrary: The Accursed Nest (emulator data)

Lavaspinner’s Lair

One guide describes the lair as a cave system with drakes to the north, dervishes to the west and spiders to the east. It opens from Lavastorm or the Broodlands, and two paths lead on to Tirranun’s Delve.

The same guide counts 15 rare spawns and two event fights, the Spider Broodmother and Stonemaw. The rare drakes are Boilingwind, Burningfang, Crimsonwing, Ezekl the Charred, Smoketail, Stoneclaw, Wynne the Dark and Zycem the Scorched; the dervishes are Cloud of Smoke, Stonecluster and Stonekrag; the spiders are Dark Webspinner, Magma Spider, Poisonfang and Rysok the Vile. The Broodmother stays rooted and ignores players until attacked, and Stonemaw brings three basilisks named Molten, Magma and Smolder. Fan maps mark the same rares, and an emulator database adds Forbin Mixmasher and Tarpo Fiddengrab.

Missions here include A Halfling’s Greed, Diving for Lavarocks, Forbin’s Elixir, Grounding the Drakes, Halfling’s Treasure Map, Infested, Lavaspinner Hunting, Lavaspinner’s Locals, The Drake Menace and Volkara’s Bite. An early task, Creating an Antidote, wants five Boiling Lavaspinner Bloods. The chieftain calls Volkara the great spider queen, and after the third tier Boldger Bristlebeard offers Forbin’s Elixir, Infested and Storming the Goblin Temple.

Sources: Rasper's Realm: Lavaspinner's Lair · EQ map files (Brewall Rainsinger maps) · eqlibrary: Lavaspinner's Lair (emulator data) · Allakhazam: The Broodlands (zone) · Pak'Cafan: Dragons of Norrath progression (dialogue transcription)

Tirranun’s Delve

The zone database calls the Delve an indoor zone and a stronghold of the Delve goblin clan, named for the ancient fire dragon Tirranun, who lives in his own walled-off lair. Little is known of the place except that it is a base for the goblins’ campaign against Norrath’s Keepers and the Dark Reign. It gives the levels as 55 to 70, while a player reference gives 45 to 65. A zone walkthrough notes that the Broodlands entrance leads only to the instanced version, and the normal zone is reached through Lavaspinner’s Lair.

Its residents are Delve champions, clerics, diviners, evokers, shamans, sneaks and spellbinders of levels 50 to 64, with Delve drakes and tame basilisks. The rares are the Fire Goblin Laborer, Scribe, Strategist and Tracker and Inquisitor Ukkag, and fan maps mark an altar and Tirranun himself. Emoush the Destroyer is the boss of Calling Emoush, one of the missions alongside A Goblin’s Escort, Children of Gimblax, Fanning the Flames, Have Note Will Travel and Storming the Goblin Temple.

In the Keepers dialogue, an early task called Burning Arrows asks for five Delvian Goblin Teeth. Later the chieftain says the Delve goblins heard of the Keepers’ work in Stillmoon Temple and swore revenge, and that Gimblax plans to hunt the player down. Children of Gimblax is a task for one group with an average level of at least 68. The chieftain calls Emoush the terrible dervish, and says the Keepers must learn about the dragons because the Dark Reign wants to control them and turn them on the Keepers. On the Dark Reign side the zone lists Blood Money and Blood of the Basilisk among its tasks. Third-party sources give different hit points for Gimblax, so none is given here.

Sources: Allakhazam: Tirranun's Delve (zone) · EQ Archives: Dragons of Norrath · EQ map files (Brewall Rainsinger maps) · Allakhazam: The Broodlands (zone) · Pak'Cafan: Dragons of Norrath progression (dialogue transcription)