Jaex

Sorry man, updated...

Jaex

Honeymiso

Did you happen to see a force of vhalen out there?

... what a stupid clue.

Zazie

any find this Vhalen in kunark

Kouros

For whoever asked where to get death's whisper language. You can get the body drops for the language quest update on most of the undead in Sinking Sands.

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Celandine

I don't know if this will be helpful or not, but here's what I've managed to scrounge up off the forums so far. Most of it comes from Vhalen the Dev.

“In the Age of Turmoil, Vhalen was a prestigious member of the League of Antonican Bards. Although never truly having a home, Vhalen frequented stages of Qeynos quite often. It was there in Qeynos that he met the woman of his dreams, the woman that would complete the sonnet of his soul. Now, I would love to tell you the tale of this romance, but we would be here all day. I would love to tell you the woman's name, but that would be revealing too much too early. What I can say is that the sonnet of love ended in tragedy. Vhalen and his love would grow farther and farther apart until one day... she vanished. Vhalen grew distraught and almost went mad. He broke ties with the League of Antonican Bards and stormed into the Plains of Karana, (no pun intended), where his insanity grew and his actions became violent and malicious. He lost all control. But he would not remain in this state of madness. The records of his temporary madness were only destroyed after he dragged his tortured soul from the pit of despair and performed many good deeds for the residents of the Plains of Karana. His selfless actions more than made up for the crimes of his madness. It was said that the harmony of the thunder storms of the plains sang to his soul. This beautiful melody of Karana cleansed his soul and madness was no more. That is why Vhalen soon made residence within the Plains of Karana. It was the place that saved him from a pit of madness. He often sat beside the well, the well where he first met his lost love. There at the well he could now safely compose poweful songs of love and soon some of the greatest of arcane sonnets, the likes of which has never been seen before. Some of his more powerful arcane melodies required the use of enormous intruments such as organs the size of temple halls and harps that rose like sails on a ship. By far his greatest spells required the bells within his bell tower, The Bell Tower of Vhalen. It was in this Bell Tower of Vhalen that Vhalen played some of the greatest arcane compositions for the defense of Qeynos during the War of Plagues. When all seemed lost and Qeynos was soon to fall, Vhalen stood alone in his Bell Tower, ringing aloud the sound of benevolence and the powerful melody of valor. He stood alone, in a tower surrounded by a sea of undead, ringing the bells that would smite the forces of the Bloodsabers and their allies. Even as the forces of evil break down his door and stabbed as his soul, he still rang the bells. Without his efforts in the War of Plagues, all would be lost and Qeynos would be no more

Oh... one more thing. About that woman he loved. At some point he learned that his temporary madness was not the result of a broken heart, but a soul driven mad by the compositions that his love often studied. It seems as though his love acquired some ancient songbooks and even an instrument once belonging to a legendary bard named Kelkarn. Odd, just like his love, Kelkarn just vanished one day. Where he went and why he went was never discovered.”<o:p></o:p>

“The tale Vhalen sang back in EverQuest was meant to be the beginning of a great bard quest. As I moved on to other projects, I found little time to complete that odyssey. In EQII, I began to use pieces of that tale. What Vhalen was trying to sing about back then, his past and the future, is coming into play within the Age of Destiny.”

Sorry I'm not Vhalen, but I can answer some of your question. Vhalen's lover was Metala Highflit, a bard that Vhalen trained, and eventually fell in love with. She ended up leaving him for a Bloodsaber, named Garuc Anehm. It almost seems like she became one of the first Dirges.

“Upon further digging, I have found out that much more woe has befallen poor Vhalen Nostrolo than I thought. At some point after Metala started hanging out with Garuc, she ascended to the Plain of Torment, and seems to have become a devout Saryrnite, changing her name to Metala Von Korach, and is killed in the final battle for the bard epic 1.5 in EQ. Upon bringing her a necklace that she gave Vhalen on one of their final anniversaries, she calls out, "You are a fool Vhalen! You send these peasants to do your dirty work, you never were much for getting your hands dirty! The path of pain is the only way to true power. I will never turn from it!" She then begins to somehow twist into a horrible, tormented vissage that attacks youl. Vhalen also worked with Brother Estle during the War of Plagues to defend Qeynos, and I believe he may be entombed in the Shrine of Estle, I know some of his fellow Bards of Bristlebane are.”


"I am somewhat surprised that no one has posted the other things 'a vision of Vhalen' says when you speak to him. So I am presenting them for discussion:
a vision of Vhalen says, "Metalla... you will not corrupt what I have started."
a vision of Vhalen says, "Here I stand, a vision from beyond, while a shard of my past strums within the bell tower on Norrath. The mechanics of the universe are quite odd."
a vision of Vhalen says, "Qeynos Hills! I have missed this part of Norrath most."
a vision of Vhalen says, "Though I love the Qeynos Hills, my odyssey rests in Ethernere. I must return."
a vision of Vhalen says, "I return to my homeland, only to find a shard of my spirit dancing upon my head. Blast the logic of the planes!"
a vision of Vhalen says, "Ah! My bell tower defied the Age of Cataclysms."
a vision of Vhalen says, "How many more of my haunts exist on Norrath? Each of these ghost are bound by an epic event in my life."
We know from other threads (and from EQLive) that Vhalen had a tumultuous existence on Norrath, including madness brought on by the songs of his lost love Metalla. Will we find more of his haunts? Perhaps in old, familiar places? I'll be keeping my eyes peeled."

I have not yet found anything about events Vhalen was a part of in Kunark, but I'm up to Chardok now so I can probably help look tonight.

Did someone say they caught a log of any of his speech that might have a clue?

Mirany

I have the log of the conversation with Vhalen before he sends you off to look for the Winds of Karana, but it doesn't really say much except about stuff we've all ready done.

I have the logs from everyone else we've talked to as well, so if you guys wants a posted copy let me know.

I'll post the one from Vhalen, maybe someone will get more out of it than I did.

You say, "Hail, A vision of Vhalen"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "What can the Crimson Maestro do for you this time?"
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "I seek knowledge of Hagralazoo and the magic lute."
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "You wish to find the Ayonic Axe, I can sense that. I have waited a long time for someone noble enough to retrieve the artifact from its hiding place."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "I do not seek an axe. I seek the Ayonic Lute, a magical instrument."
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Ha ha! One in the same. The Ayonic Axe is just as grand a weapon as it is a musical instrument. However, you will soon find that its appearance is more fitting of an arena champion rather than a amphitheater virtuoso."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "My quest to find the Ayonic Axe led me to Rivervale, where a morbid xylophone rests within the Laughing Trout."
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Then you have followed the whispers of my ancestor. The hagralaphone was intended to stifle, hide and bind the spirit of the great troll witch Hagralazoo. It was one of the neccessities of keeping the Ayonic Axe hidden from those that seek to harm and those filled with innocent curiosity."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "What does a troll witch or fortune teller have to do with a magic lute?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "The Ayonic Axe is cursed, a taint produced by an evil force from the planes, the true origin of the artifact. I do not know what cursed this instrument, but I know it was not terrestrial. Hagralazoo is the only known creature that found a way to subdue the curse. Unfortunately, she was not the most noble of beings."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "How did she come to acquire the Ayonic Axe?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "From the findings of my ancestor, ages ago she encountered a small band of bards known as the Chaos Orchestra. These bards were close to falling prey to the curse of the instrument when they pleaded for help from Hagralazoo. She promised to take the lute if they would play one song for her."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "And they played one more song."
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Unfortunately, yes! After they perished by their own hands, the instrument was taken by Hagralazoo. How she survived the curse is not known, but survive she did. What followed was a string of clandestine concerts orchestrated by the troll and her unwitting ally."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "Who helped her?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Hagralazoo could wield the Ayonic Axe as a weapon, but she could never play a tune on it. To perform her deadly concerts she would hire foolish bards that she encountered in her fortune telling sessions. Through guile, they aided her. However, she was the only one that reaped the rewards. The unwitting accomplice died along with the spectators. And things went this way for quite some time."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "How did it end?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Hagralazoo gave the instrument to a bard named Kelkarn. It would be Kelkarn's journey that would bring the Ayonic Axe to me. It would be the Drafling that would defeat Hagralazoo in Rivervale, allowing me to bind her soul to the hagralaphone."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "But why bind her soul?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "I do not know much of Kelkarn's association with Hagralazoo, but what I could discover was that Kelkarn held an artifact that protected him from the curse. The troll witch somehow found Kelkarn's ward after his death. I hid the Ayonic Axe and bound the troll to Norrath until another noble bard could quest for Kelkarn's artifact. That noble bard is you."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "But you are a legendary bard! How could you not find Kelkarn's ward?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Hagralazoo would not speak and my time on Norrath was not enough, there were other great deeds that I needed to tend to. It is your time now. You must play the Winds of Karana upon hagralaphone. That shall resurrect Hagralazoo. Ages of torment must have brought her to her senses. She is the only one that knows where Kelkarn's ward is."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "Where do I get the Winds of Karana?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Where once I stood in sorrow, beside the life giving portal. Where once it was empty now there is a monument of Rallos removed. Go there and you shall be granted the first Wind of Karana."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "But what of the Ayonic Axe... where is it?"
a vision of Vhalen says to you, "Go, Mitsukii. Let the Winds of Karana release the witch and let my shards guide you in the land where ancient evil slumbers."
You say to a vision of Vhalen, "Land where ancient evil slumbers?!"

Meta

Hmm Ancient Evil Slumbers? Sounds like undead to me - Sebilis? /shudder.And please don't tell me our epic is a f****** axe. FFS.. PIERCER PLEASE

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solonar

i think where ancient evil slumbers just refers to Kunark

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Mulilla

I would give a try (although i know it isnt Kunark) to Solusek ro temple in Lavastorm and see if Lord Lyxfl has something to do with it, since he was a dragon in EQ1 (and EQ2) his lastname is "of Burwood" and supposed to live (while in wurm form) in Burning Woods wich was a EQ1 Kunark zone.

Dunno, just to give it a different approach, i'm not even in that part yet

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acoloss

-- Speak with the newly animated Zyn'Phro 1757, 463, -647 nearby to update the quest. (if you say you aren't Hagralazoo, it will attack you and not progress the quest)

i said the wrong thing, and it attacked me.. but i charmed it, and i managed to hail him again and got the update (while charmed)....