Continent · The Ruins of Kunark, 2000
Kunark
Kunark is the wild southern continent added by The Ruins of Kunark in 2000: the homeland of the Iksar, a land of ruined empires, Sarnak fortresses, froglok swamps, goblin mines and dragon peaks, reached across the Timorous Deep.
All 38 connections as a list
- Butcherblock Mountains ↔ Timorous Deep (ship route)
- Oasis of Marr ↔ Timorous Deep (ship route)
- Firiona Vie ↔ Timorous Deep (ship route)
- The Overthere ↔ Timorous Deep (ship route)
- Cabilis ↔ The Field of Bone (zone line)
- Cabilis ↔ Swamp of No Hope (zone line)
- Cabilis ↔ Warsliks Woods (zone line)
- Cabilis ↔ Lake of Ill Omen (zone line)
- The Field of Bone ↔ Swamp of No Hope (zone line)
- The Field of Bone ↔ Warsliks Woods (zone line)
- The Emerald Jungle ↔ The Field of Bone (zone line)
- The Field of Bone ↔ Kaesora (zone line)
- The Field of Bone ↔ Kurn’s Tower (zone line)
- Lake of Ill Omen ↔ Warsliks Woods (zone line)
- Firiona Vie ↔ Lake of Ill Omen (zone line)
- Frontier Mountains ↔ Lake of Ill Omen (zone line)
- Lake of Ill Omen ↔ Veksar (zone line)
- The Overthere ↔ Warsliks Woods (zone line)
- Crypt of Dalnir ↔ Warsliks Woods (zone line)
- Firiona Vie ↔ Swamp of No Hope (zone line)
- Swamp of No Hope ↔ Trakanon’s Teeth (zone line)
- The Dreadlands ↔ Firiona Vie (zone line)
- Frontier Mountains ↔ The Overthere (zone line)
- Skyfire Mountains ↔ The Overthere (zone line)
- Howling Stones ↔ The Overthere (zone line)
- The Emerald Jungle ↔ Trakanon’s Teeth (zone line)
- City of Mist ↔ The Emerald Jungle (zone line)
- Old Sebilis ↔ Trakanon’s Teeth (zone line)
- Burning Wood ↔ The Dreadlands (zone line)
- The Dreadlands ↔ Frontier Mountains (zone line)
- The Dreadlands ↔ Karnor’s Castle (zone line)
- Burning Wood ↔ Frontier Mountains (zone line)
- Burning Wood ↔ Skyfire Mountains (zone line)
- Burning Wood ↔ Chardok (zone line)
- Frontier Mountains ↔ Mines of Nurga (zone line)
- Frontier Mountains ↔ Temple of Droga (zone line)
- Skyfire Mountains ↔ Veeshan’s Peak (zone line)
- Mines of Nurga ↔ Temple of Droga (zone line)
Zones by region
Cabilis and the heartland
- Cabilis
- The Field of Bone · levels 1–20
- Warsliks Woods · levels 1–30
- Lake of Ill Omen · levels 1–30
- Swamp of No Hope · levels 1–25
- Kurn’s Tower coming
- Kaesora coming
- Crypt of Dalnir coming
- Veksar coming
The south coast
- Firiona Vie · levels 22–45
- Timorous Deep · levels 14–50
The west
- Frontier Mountains · levels 25–45
- Mines of Nurga coming
- Temple of Droga coming
- Burning Wood · levels 38–55
- Chardok coming
- The Dreadlands · levels 30–50
- Karnor’s Castle coming
Dragon country and the north
- Skyfire Mountains · levels 40–60
- Veeshan’s Peak coming
- The Overthere · levels 15–45
- Howling Stones coming
The eastern jungles
- Trakanon’s Teeth · levels 30–50
- Old Sebilis coming
- The Emerald Jungle · levels 30–45
- City of Mist coming
A new continent
Kunark arrived with EverQuest’s first expansion, The Ruins of Kunark, in 2000, together with a new playable race, the Iksar. It lies across the Timorous Deep, which a classic zone atlas describes as the ocean between Kunark and the other continents, a trade and transport route dotted with islands. Ships from Butcherblock on Faydwer and the Oasis of Marr on Antonica cross it. The good races land at the elves’ docks in Firiona Vie on the southern coast; the evil races come ashore at their outpost in the Overthere on the northern coast.
The continent is famously hard going. Zone after zone in a classic zone atlas carries the same warning: almost every creature attacks on sight, many see through invisibility, and wanderers cross the open country constantly. Kunark’s outdoor zones are large, and its dungeons are some of the most storied of the classic game.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Timorous Deep · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Firiona Vie · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): The Overthere
The Iksar and their empire
Kunark was once ruled by the Iksar Empire. A community wiki says its capital, Sebilis, was founded by Emperor Venril Sathir, and the empire ruled from there for many years. The dungeons of Kunark are the empire’s ruins: A player guide says Kurn’s Tower and Kaesora were built in the reign of Rile Sathir, and that the City of Mist, Torsis, was raised under Lord Rak’Ashiir soon after the Shissar were driven out of Kunark. For the story of the race, see the rise of the Iksar and the Shissar.
The empire’s end came from the sky. In the last battle of a long war with the Ring of Scale, Emperor Ganak and the dragon Jaled’Dar destroyed each other above what is now the Field of Bone. Afterwards, a community wiki says, a rogue faction of the Ring of Scale led by Trakanon rained death on Sebilis, whose ruins now lie in Trakanon’s Teeth. A player guide adds that slave uprisings, goblin invasions and forest giant attacks had already worn the empire down.
Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Old Sebilis · Allakhazam: Kurn’s Tower (zone) · Allakhazam: Kaesora (zone) · Allakhazam: City of Mist 2.0 (zone) · Allakhazam: The Field of Bone (zone) · Allakhazam: Old Sebilis (zone)
Cabilis and the heartland
The surviving Iksar moved to New Sebilis, which is Cabilis, a walled city near the centre of the continent. A classic zone atlas says that for centuries they focused inward, rebuilding their culture so they could face the world again, and that they are now pushing back into the lands they once ruled. Four zones surround the city. The Field of Bone to the northeast is where young Iksar learn to hunt. The Swamp of No Hope to the southeast belongs to the frogloks, old enemies of the Iksar. Warsliks Woods to the northwest is held by forest giants and goblins. The Lake of Ill Omen to the southwest is where the Iksar fight the Sarnak, above the drowned resort of Veksar.
See Cabilis and Emperor Vekin for the city’s own story.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Cabilis · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Lake of Ill Omen · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Swamp of No Hope · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Warsliks Woods
The Sarnak and the west
West of the heartland the Frontier Mountains, the highest and roughest range on the continent, cut across Kunark’s western half. Giants, goblins and burynai mine beneath them, and the goblin Mines of Nurga and Temple of Droga open off them. Beyond lies the Burning Wood on the western coast, an old forest scarred by meteors, with the Sarnak city of Chardok in its northeast corner. A community wiki calls Chardok an ancient Sarnak military fortress dating back to the time of Emperor Atrebe; a player guide says it is home to the Brood of Di’Zok and its royal family. See Chardok and the Sarnak.
South of the wood, at the foot of a glacier, are the Dreadlands, home to drachnids, giants, the frost dragon Gorenaire and, in the Lost Valley, an old outpost of the Combine Empire where druids and wizards arrive by portal. In their middle stands Karnor’s Castle, which a player guide calls home to the vampire Venril Sathir and his minions.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Frontier Mountains · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Burning Wood · Project 1999 Wiki: Chardok · Allakhazam: Chardok 2.0 (zone) · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): The Dreadlands · Allakhazam: Karnor’s Castle (zone)
Dragon country
The northwest belongs to the dragons. The Skyfire Mountains, a classic zone atlas says, take their name from the red glow of lava that lights the night sky, and wyverns, drakes and wurms guard the gate of Veeshan’s Peak. A community wiki calls the Peak the ancient fortress of the Ring of Scale, the dragons who rebelled against the Claws of Veeshan and followed Jaled’Dar to Kunark; a player guide says that from there Trakanon led the dragons against the Iksar. Other great dragons roam the open land: Gorenaire in the Dreadlands, Talendor in Skyfire and Severilous in the Emerald Jungle.
East of Skyfire, the Overthere climbs to the northern shore. In the middle of its scorpiki-haunted chasm stands Howling Stones, Charasis, which a community wiki says Venril Sathir built as a retreat for his necromancy.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Skyfire Mountains · Project 1999 Wiki: Veeshan’s Peak · Allakhazam: Veeshan’s Peak 1.0 (zone) · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): The Dreadlands · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Emerald Jungle · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): The Overthere · Project 1999 Wiki: Howling Stones
The jungles of the east
East of Cabilis the land falls into swamp and jungle. On the east side, below the Emerald Jungle, Trakanon’s Teeth is a swampy range whose streams feed the Swamp of No Hope; beneath its ruins lies Old Sebilis, where Trakanon still remains. The Emerald Jungle lies in the northeast, east of the Field of Bone, sunk below a great cliff, with the City of Mist hidden in its south. A player guide tells how that city fell: Lord Rak’Ashiir lost faith in his god, and Cazic-Thule sent a servant against him. Kaesora and Kurn’s Tower open off the Field of Bone, and the Crypt of Dalnir in Warsliks Woods, the hidden tomb of a Cabilis Haggle Baron, has been taken over by the Kly.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Trakanon’s Teeth · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Emerald Jungle · Allakhazam: City of Mist 2.0 (zone) · Project 1999 Wiki: Crypt of Dalnir
About the map
The map is an original illustration. Each zone’s place comes from the directions in its player-guide texts, and the layout was checked by eye against the game’s own maps; nothing was traced or copied.
Cabilis sits near the centre, with Warsliks Woods to its northwest, the Field of Bone to its northeast, the Lake of Ill Omen to its southwest and the Swamp of No Hope to its southeast. The Frontier Mountains run across the west, with the Burning Wood on the west coast, the Skyfire Mountains in the northwest and the Dreadlands in the southwest. Firiona Vie holds the south coast, the Overthere the north coast, the Emerald Jungle the northeast corner beside the Field of Bone, and Trakanon’s Teeth the east side, below the jungle and east of the Swamp of No Hope, which lies below the Field of Bone. Sea routes cross the Timorous Deep from Firiona Vie and the Overthere toward Faydwer and Antonica.
Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Cabilis · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Warsliks Woods · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Frontier Mountains · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): The Dreadlands · EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Emerald Jungle