We all know that the EverQuest universe takes place on Norrath, a lush and varied world with similar Earth-like properties, such as tundra, volcanoes, jungles, deserts and cities.
But how much do we know about the remainder of the solar system?
The following is compiled from various sources across EQ and EQ2. One must be careful however as EQ1 and 2 canon are not always compatible.
Ro
The name of Norrath’s solar system is the Ro system, so named for the sun of Norrath, Ro. The sun has also been referred to as Solus by past civilizations I’m Norrath’s history.
The star is a yellow star in the Diamond Shoal nebula. Interestingly, the Diamond Shoal nebula is also the same name of the nebula as in the Planetside universe.
Planets
In the Ro System, the are 4 planets.
Trorsmang
The first planet in the system is Trorsmang. According to lore from Everquest 2, it is described as having a molten body with a molten core, water vapor, a sulfurous atmosphere, and desolate climate.
Trorsmang has no known moons.
The name Trorsmang is an anagram from Armstrong, as in Neil Armstrong.
Norrath
The second planet of the system is Norrath. It has a solid body with a molten core, liquid water, breathable atmosphere, and various climates.
Norrath has two moons.
The first moon of Norrath is Luclin. It has a solid body with a molten core, liquid water, breathable atmosphere and a tropical climate.
Luclin is named for, and veiled by magic of the goddess Luclin and thus invisible to inhabitants of Norrath.
Luclin did appear briefly for mere moments before the explosion that set into motion events in the Everquest 2 timeline. However, these events have not or will not occur in the EQ1 timeline, thus Luclin remains veiled.
The moon that is visible in the sky of Norrath is Drinal.
Drinal, like many other names in EverQuest, is an anagram of Aldrin. Buzz Aldrin was one of the first men to walk on the moon, Luna, of Earth.
Drinal has a solid body with a solid core, frozen water, minimal atmosphere and a desolate climate.
Drinal is the actual lunar body seen from Norrath as a white, rocky body in the sky in both EverQuest and EverQuest II.
Drinal was named for the demigod Drinal, the god of night, destruction and death. He is also known as the Silver Reaper. Not much is known about Drinal, especially in EQ1.
However in EQ2, Drinal appears as a large white dog or wolf-like biped with black paws, tail and snout. He is said to carry a sickle similar in appearance to a crescent moon.
Anbeal
The third planet of the Ro system is Anbeal.
Anbeal is a solid body with a solid core, no water, no atmosphere and a desolate climate.
Anbeal has no moons.
Because of its oblong path around Ro, the planet may be the 3rd or 4th farthest planet from Ro.
Anbeal is an anagram of Al (Alan) Bean, an astronaut that walked on the moon.
Cordan
The last planet of the Ro System is Cordan.
It is a gaseous body with a solid core, no water, poisonous atmosphere and a desolate climate.
While Cordan has no moons, it does have three rings of ice particles and space debris.
Cordan is an anagram of Conrad, as in Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad, another lunar astronaut.
Other Planets and Systems
There are other planets outside of the Ro system known from expansions and lore.
Kuaa
The planet Kuaa is not in the Ro system. It is a far away planet that was ravaged by the Muramites.
Priests of Discord on Norrath opened portals to travel from Norrath to Kuaa during the Omens of War expansion.
It is similar to Norrath in many ways, or was, until the Discordians arrived. The creation story of Kuaa is very similar to Norrath, in that a great dragon named Dranik created a great scar upon the land and created the dragorn race.
There has been speculation that Dranik and Veeshan are one in the same. Simply different names by different creatures for their same god.
Plane of Sky Discrepancies
In the Plane of Sky in Everquest 1 there is a curious body in the sky. It looks similar to Saturn with gaseous bands and large rings.
There was speculation earlier that this was Luclin (as we’ve never seen what it actually looks like before the Shattering.)
In fact, maps of Luclin from the Shadows of Luclin actually show 3 rings for one side of Luclin.
However, these are dismissed as artist’s liberties.
The actual location of the Plane of Sky is not known, and this planet would more closely describe what Cordan is supposed to look like.
Immortals
In Everquest Live, during the monk epic quest, a book must be retrieved from Skyfire mountains.
That book, Immortals, is the first we hear of the solar system of Norrath.
Immortals
The immortals who can be spoken of are not the eternal immortals. Their spoken names are not their eternal names. In namelessness they are the beginning of heaven and earth. Named they are one with the ten thousand things.
Though different in title they spring from one source and appear as darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gate to their mystery.
The immortals do not go forth. All comes to them. They are like the ocean, the king of ten thousand streams. By staying beneath they are a receptacle for all things.
They do nothing. Yet are masters of the universe.
Trorsmang! Be our course of action.
Anbeal! Become the vessel to hold our virtue.
Drinal! Be our stability, where we can take root.
Cordan! Fill our vessel and calm our ambitions.
Norrath! Take our husks and breathe life into them.
We beseech you! Guide us in your humility.
The end.
I just want to say that I have been waiting for a decade or more for somebody to start blogging with a focus on EverQuest. I stopped playing seriously ages ago, but still like to keep an eye on the game and go back now and then for special events, like the 20th Anniv. So thanks for making regular posts about old Norrath!
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Thanks for the kind words! Norrath is a special place, and I’ve wanted the same. So I decided to make it myself.
The lore is such a delicate thing though, and being a perfectionist I want to make sure it’s right.
As you can imagine, with the game(s) as big as they are, compiling and “fact checking’ everything to make sure it’s canon and that I’m not just making things up is quite a task.
It’s why I’m trying to do it in bite sized pieces. More manageable.
Thanks for the follow and the nice words!
Fading
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love the lore
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