Velious · The Scars of Velious
Kael Drakkel
Kael Drakkel is the city of the giants in the southwest of the Eastern Wastes: home of the Kromzek storm giants and the Kromrif frost giants, seat of King Tormax, and guardian of a temple to Rallos Zek that even the giants may not enter.
City of the giants
A classic zone atlas calls Kael the home city of the Kromzek, the storm giants, and something of a trading post, since the frost giants, who live more like nomads, travel here to sell. A player guide names the leader of the storm giants, King Tormax. The rise of the Kromzek and their war with the Coldain is told in Kael Drakkel and the Kromzek.
The giants serve Rallos Zek, the god of war. The Atlas lists clerics and priests of Vallon Zek and Semkak, Prophet of Vallon, among the city’s people.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Kael Drakkal · Allakhazam: Kael Drakkel (zone)
Three factions
The Atlas warns that Kael is unsafe even for those who have never killed a giant, because of its tangled factions. Most of the giants seen are the Kromrif, who start out hostile to visitors. The Kromzek, who include most vendors and quest givers, are mostly not hostile, but will not trade or offer work until you earn it. The third group, King Tormax’s faction, starts hostile to everyone and is very hard to win over; all the king’s guards belong to it.
a player guide agrees: you must prove your loyalty to the giants before you may use the city’s bankers and vendors.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Kael Drakkal · Allakhazam: Kael Drakkel (zone)
The temple of war
Beyond the arena lies something worse. A player guide says even the most devoted followers of the Kromzek cannot enter the temple of Rallos Zek. The giants hold it as sacred ground and meet trespassers with fierce resistance, and the Avatar of War has been known to appear to anyone bold enough to explore it, usually with disastrous results.
The Atlas adds practical warnings. Some giants can see through invisibility, though none on the direct route between the two exits; Summon Corpse works only at the zone line to the Eastern Wastes; and dragging anyone else’s body brings an attack even on an invisible visitor.
Sources: Allakhazam: Kael Drakkel (zone) · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Kael Drakkal
Between wastes and forest
The city has two doors. One opens from the southwest of the Eastern Wastes; the other leads to the Wakening Land, where the giants push against the forest of Tunare. Visitors can bind at both entrances, and those with good faction will find many class armour quests, like the ones in Thurgadin.
a community wiki confirms both links. The Atlas rates its monsters at 40 and up, and a player guide at 30 to 60.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Kael Drakkal · Project 1999 Wiki: Kael Drakkel · Allakhazam: Kael Drakkel (zone)
Lore tied to this zone
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Kael Drakkal · Allakhazam: Kael Drakkel (zone) · Project 1999 Wiki: Kael Drakkel