The Norrath Secret Society

A Norrathian's Guide to Walking the Shattered Lands.

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Norrath is ancient beyond easy reckoning, a realm of shattered continents, forgotten kingdoms, restless gods, and roads upon which a traveler may find either fortune or death before the sun has reached its zenith. From the guarded gates of Qeynos to the iron dominion of Freeport, from the forests of Faydwer to the haunted reaches of Nektulos, countless adventurers have set forth seeking glory. Some hunt treasure, some seek battle, some hunger for knowledge, and others simply desire to discover what lies beyond the next ridge. Yet there is a lesson more valuable than any enchanted blade or chest of platinum. The finest adventurers are remembered not merely for what they accomplished, but for how they treated those who walked beside them.

When thou enterest Norrath, do not begin each day by wondering what everyone else can do for thee. Instead, ask what thou might do for someone else. Perhaps a traveler struggles against a creature thou canst easily defeat, or perhaps a younger adventurer seeks the entrance to some forgotten ruin that thou hast visited a hundred times. A few moments of thy time may spare another soul an hour of frustration. Thou needst not abandon thine own adventures whenever someone requires aid, but neither should every encounter begin with the question, "What shall I gain from this?" The strongest communities in Norrath are built by those willing to contribute to them. A reputation for generosity shall carry thy name farther than the swiftest mount.

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There shall also come victories, and many of them shall deserve celebration. Thou shalt gain power, discover treasures, complete difficult quests, defeat mighty enemies, earn titles, and occasionally acquire some magnificent relic that causes thee to stare upon it in disbelief. Take pride in such moments, for glory hard won should not be treated lightly. Yet not every accomplishment requires proclamation throughout the realm. There is a difference between sharing a remarkable triumph with thy companions and announcing every minor advancement to every soul within hearing distance. Let thy deeds speak for thee. If every small victory requires trumpet, banner, and herald, even the most patient citizens of Norrath may eventually begin searching for the nearest griffon tower.

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Questions are another matter entirely. Ask them when thou genuinely requirest guidance, for every veteran was once a bewildered newcomer staring at a map and wondering why the road appeared to lead directly into a mountain. There is no dishonor in ignorance. There is, however, little virtue in making ignorance permanent. Do not turn the public channels of Norrath, nor the halls of thy guild, into thy personal encyclopedia. If every few moments thou askest where to go, what to purchase, what spell to use, which creature to kill, where an inhabitant stands, what an item does, and what thou shouldst do next, those around thee shall eventually grow weary of answering. Curiosity earns respect when accompanied by effort. Helplessness cultivated as a habit does not.

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Learn, therefore, the ancient art of seeking knowledge for thyself. Many mysteries that appear impossible have already been solved by travelers who came before thee, and their discoveries have been preserved within great repositories of Norrathian knowledge. Read thy quest journal carefully. Examine maps and item descriptions. Search the chronicles maintained by other adventurers. Consult the records of EQ2 Wiki and EQ2U when the answer cannot readily be found within the world itself. Learning where to find an answer is often more valuable than simply being given one, for the adventurer who learns to research becomes independent, and the independent adventurer eventually becomes the knowledgeable veteran whom others seek for guidance.

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Among the simplest arts an adventurer should master is the use of coordinates and waypoints. Learn them well, for they shall spare thee countless hours wandering through forests while insisting that the destination must surely be nearby. Norrath is vast, and its architects possessed a peculiar fondness for hidden passages, winding tunnels, concealed stairways, and ruins whose entrances appear to have been designed specifically to irritate future explorers. When trustworthy records provide coordinates, use them. Learn how to place a waypoint upon thy map and follow it through unfamiliar lands. Many great mysteries become considerably less mysterious once thou knowest where thou art actually going.

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This leads to one of the most important customs a traveler can learn. Search first, then ask. Before calling upon thy guild or the greater population of Norrath for an answer, make a reasonable effort to discover it thyself. Read the journal entry again. Examine the map. Search the great archives. Try the coordinates. Look around the area. Speak with nearby inhabitants and consider whether the answer may be standing directly before thee. Only after thou hast exhausted reasonable efforts shouldst thou seek the wisdom of others. There is a tremendous difference between saying, "Where is this?" and saying, "I have searched the records and followed these coordinates, yet I still cannot find the entrance. Does anyone remember where it lies?" The latter tells thy companions that thou seekest assistance rather than servitude.

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Sooner or later, every adventurer should consider finding a guild worthy of their loyalty. A true guild is far more than a collection of names gathered beneath a common banner. It is fellowship, knowledge, history, shared triumph, disastrous expeditions, ancient rivalries, remembered victories, and companions who may still recall that catastrophic dungeon venture thou hadst hoped everyone had forgotten. Yet understand this before pledging thy name to any banner. A guild is not a service organization established solely for thy convenience. Do not join merely to demand equipment, coin, transportation, crafting, quest assistance, dungeon escorts, and immediate answers to every question that enters thy mind.

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When thou enterest a guild, seek to become part of its foundation rather than another weight upon it. Ask whether someone requires assistance. Congratulate another member upon an achievement. Answer questions when thou knowest the answer, craft something for another if thou possessest the skill, and occasionally join an expedition even when there is nothing within it that thou personally requirest. The guild member who constantly asks, "Who will help me?" may eventually find fewer voices answering. The guild member who regularly asks, "Who needs help?" becomes someone whose presence is noticed when they enter the hall and missed when they are absent. Such people are the stones upon which enduring guilds are built.

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Nor should thy character exist merely as a collection of equipment, abilities, statistics, and titles. Give thy adventurer a soul. Thou needst not spend every waking moment speaking like a court poet before the throne of Qeynos, but allow thy character to possess personality from time to time. Perhaps thy dwarf distrusts all magic that cannot be poured into a mug. Perhaps thy ratonga considers every locked chest a personal invitation. Perhaps thy paladin possesses an almost unbearable devotion to honor, while thy necromancer insists that the skeleton following behind is merely an unusually quiet cousin. These small peculiarities give life to a name. The adventurers remembered across Norrath are rarely remembered because their equipment possessed slightly greater numbers than everyone else's. They are remembered because they became characters within the stories of others.

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Speak also to strangers upon the road. Norrath becomes considerably greater when thou acknowledgest the souls inhabiting it. If thou encounterest another adventurer struggling against an enemy, lend thy blade when appropriate. If someone appears hopelessly lost, ask whether assistance is needed. If another traveler stands beside thee waiting for the same creature or searching the same ruins, speak to them. Not every conversation shall become the beginning of some legendary fellowship, nor should it. Sometimes two travelers shall exchange only a few words before continuing upon separate roads. Yet many enduring friendships have begun because two strangers happened to stand beside the same cave at the same hour.

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Thou must also accept an uncomfortable truth. Norrath is ancient, and sometimes Norrath behaves strangely. A creature may refuse to appear when expected. An inhabitant may stare silently into eternity rather than answer thee. A doorway may behave as though temporarily uncertain whether it wishes to remain a doorway. Some ancient mechanism may cease functioning for reasons known only to the gods. Such peculiarities are part of traveling an enormous and complicated world. Report genuine troubles through the proper channels when necessary, seek a solution if one exists, and continue thy journey. The Shattered Lands survived the Rending. Thou canst survive an inconvenient goblin.

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Frustration shall inevitably visit thee, but do not become a prophet of misery. Every adventurer eventually encounters something they dislike. An ability may change, an encounter may seem unfair, some ancient system may prove irritating, or a particular path of advancement may simply not suit thy tastes. Thoughtful criticism has value, and there is nothing wrong with discussing genuine problems. Endless complaining, however, accomplishes little beyond exhausting everyone unfortunate enough to hear it. Do not transform guild halls or public channels into monuments dedicated to thy dissatisfaction. If Norrath brings thee nothing but anger upon a particular evening, close thy pack, sheath thy weapon, and rest. Return another day when the desire for adventure calls again.

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Above all else, guard thy reputation, for reputation is among the few treasures that cannot simply be purchased from a merchant. Norrath remembers names. People remember the adventurer who stopped to help without demanding payment. They remember the healer who remained when an expedition began collapsing. They remember the veteran who patiently explained a confusing quest and the stranger who crossed a field because another traveler was in trouble. They also remember arrogance, selfishness, endless begging, needless hostility, and those who treat their guildmates as servants. Equipment becomes obsolete, coin is spent, titles are replaced, and yesterday's mighty treasure eventually finds its way into a dusty bank vault. Reputation endures much longer.

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Thus there is one final principle beneath all the others. Leave Norrath better than thou found it. Help someone when thou canst. Learn something thou didst not know yesterday, then teach it when another traveler comes seeking that same knowledge. Explore lands thou hast never visited. Speak with someone thou hast never met. Join a guild and contribute to its legacy rather than merely consuming its resources. Celebrate thy victories without demanding worship for them, seek answers before demanding them from others, and laugh when the ancient world behaves in ways no mortal can properly explain.

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And shouldst thou one day see some poor adventurer fleeing across the countryside with half the gnolls of Antonica howling at their heels, consider drawing thy weapon and lending aid. Do not do so because there is treasure to be gained, nor because some chronicler shall record thy deed. Do it because someday the unfortunate soul running desperately toward the horizon may be thee.

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For after all the battles have ended, after the treasures have been gathered and the ancient dungeons have surrendered their secrets, the greatest wealth of Norrath shall remain what it has always been. It is the fellowship forged between those who choose to walk the Shattered Lands together.