My first adventure years ago...

[mail4youtoo]

Good Morning,

I am very new to this server. Just got my Druid, Hackee, to level 5 this past weekend. I am loving my return to this game.

Before I started EQ, My first MMO was called Meridian59. Not sure if anyone else here ever played it or remembers it. It was very basic, but got me hooked real quick after being a D&D player most my life.

Back in 1999/2000, while walking around Bestbuy one afternoon I saw a display for this game called Everquest. There was a big sign for a new expansion coming out called 'Scars of Velious.' When I picked up a box to look at it, a store clerk came up to me and asked me what class I played. I didn't know what he was talking about and told him I didn't play. He said I should give it a try and I would not be disappointed. I bought the main game, which came with Kunark, and went home to try it out.

I created a human ranger on the Zebuxoruk server and was immediately hooked. My girlfriend, at the time, watched me play for a day or two and ran out to the store to buy herself a copy. She created a human warrior ( I think ) which started in Freeport. My ranger was in Surefall Glade which we found out was on the other side of the continent. The only way we figured it out was with the little folded up map that came in the box. My girlfriend wanted to play together so I took it upon myself to find my way to Freeport.

I had never left the Surefalls Glade / Queynos area so I was completely unaware of the dangers I would face. I packed up my only 2 backpacks with food and water. I loaded up on arrows. I got the folded paper map out and set out on what was the greatest adventure I ever took in this game.

I made it to West Karanas and followed the road. I was getting dark and being a human meant I could not see very well at all. I remember sitting next to a big tree out in the middle of nowhere keeping on eye on my tracking and being scared when a 'Hill Giant' came into view. I was afraid to move as I didn't want to die and not be able to recover my body. It was a tense few minutes. Once light dawned, I continued on my way only having the paper map to guide me. I was being very cautious and tracking the entire way.

I entered North Karana. Following the river at my right I came to a guard tower with guards in it. Whew! Sitting at the tower was a human mage. I asked him how to get to Freeport. He gave me some basic directions about crossing a big bridge into East Karana and then to continue east through a long mountain pass until I found High Keep. He told me I was crazy to walk there and should just get a port. I didn't know what he was talking about and kept going. I found the big bridge without any issues. I remember taking a few screenshots of it thinking that Giants must have put this together.

Upon entering East Karana I stumbled upon a small group sitting on the opposite end of the bridge. One was a woodelf Druid and the other was a half elf warrior. Luck had it that they were heading to High Keep to join up with others to fight gnolls to get the warrior a cracked shield. The only gnolls I had seen before where the ones at Black Burrow and of course good old Fippy rushing the gates of Queynos. I got my first SoW at that point and thought it was the best thing ever to be able to run that fast. We set out across the land with the Druid taking the lead. I tried to get in all the sights while running to keep up with the others. We Passed lots of Large spiders and Lions. We got to the long mountain pass and the Druid told us to just keep running when the bandits came at us. High and higher we climbed until we zoned into the next area.

High hold pass! I've made it this far. I was asked by the group if I wanted to kill gnolls with them. I declined saying I had to get to Freeport asap. They understood and the Druid showed me the way through the winding path to the other side of the pass. We passed a couple of other groups fighting orcs at the far end. The last thing he said to me was to be careful entering Kithicor at night.

Holy Crap! was my first thought when I hit my tracking after zoning. Every name was in red. I stepped out a little bit to see if I could find a way through when I saw a figure rush at me. I had no idea what it was... Hell, thinking back it could have been just another player, I had no idea as I just turned and ran my ass off. I could not find the path back to High Hold and began to panic. I just kept running. I hit the zone wall and turned right. Just running as fast as I could. In less than a minute I saw a tunnel leading into the side of the wall. I ran for it hoping it was a way out of this area and not into the mouth of hell itself. I got the zoning message! Success! Then I heard it... the horrible, horrible sound of the halfling music.

What insane developer came up with this new kind of torture! I would rather slam my head in a car door then ever have to listed to that happy halfling music again. I waited at the zone line until daylight before I entered back into the forest. Once the sun was up and I was felt it was safe I continued on my way across the forest to the east until I came to the path leading to the West Commonlands.

I knew I was getting close to Freeport as my girlfriend said she had entered East Commonlands earlier that day. I followed the road pass guard huts and animals of all sorts. Hoping the rest of the way was easy. It took a little while longer than I had hoped as my SoW had worn off at this point but I kept going east until I zoned into East Commonlands.

Almost there! I thought as I followed the south wall of the zone. I noticed a lot a talk in the zone of people auctioning off items I had never seen or heard of. This place was so different than Qeynos hills, the place where I grew up. A short time later I found the tunnel where everyone was and I do mean everyone. I had never seen that many people in one place before. Different races and classes. I saw my first Iksar there. He asked me for money. Damned beggars.

My girlfriend and her warrior found me in the tunnels and all was good. I had made it all the way across the continent using only a paper map and my wits. To this day it is my most fond memory of this game. One I will never forget. I went on later to play a druid and a monk through the elemental planes in the PoP expansion but it never had that 'Oh WOW!' feeling that this adventure had.

Anyway... if any of you read through that, I just wanted to share my story of how I became addicted to this game years ago. If anyone happens to remember a Druid on Zebuxoruk named Kayen or a monk on Stromm named Hackee look me up.

Thanks for reading