To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of EverQuest, we hosted the "Norrath's Timeless Heroes" contest for EverQuest, EverQuest II, EverQuest Online Adventures and Legends of Norrath. Norrathian had this opportunity to show us why they deserved to be one of Norrath's Timeless Heroes!

Congratulations to the Winners of the EverQuest Norrath's Timeless Heroes Contest!

First Place

Tharkis
Luclin Server

Forging His Destiny Not every hero starts the journey of life knowing they are destined for greatness. In fact most get there the long way, through hard work and perseverance. Tharkis was no different in this regard. A barbarian born in the hamlet of Halas in the harsh reaches of the Everfrost Peaks, Tharkis was raised on the principles of hard work and self-reliance. Much as a blacksmith can take a plain bar of iron and forge a beautiful rose, Tharkis believed that regardless of his plain origins, he could forge his own destiny and rise to greatness.

From humble origins, Tharkis increased his fortunes by plying his trades as a craftsman, repairing armor and brewing potions for other travelers, while seeking employment with a guild of adventurers. When the opportunity arose, Tharkis grasped it firmly and without hesitation, taking off to slay dragons and giants, and eventually to challenge the gods themselves. Soon, because of his hard work and dedication, his notoriety grew, and he became known as a paragon of virtue and hard work, esteemed by many and respected by all.

Through the years Tharkis never forgot the values and skills that got him where he then was. Here in this image we see Tharkis hard at work repairing his gear and that of his companions. Despite having recently destroyed Lord Brekt, Rider of Discord and god of chaos, and having set the timeline of Norrath back to its rightful path, Tharkis does not consider it time to relax until everything is prepared to drop everything and again save Norrath at a moment's notice. Dangers abound, and those who pass through the Plane of Knowledge will many times see Tharkis standing watch, ever vigilant and prepared to render his services wherever the need arises, great or small.

Second Place

(Alphabetical Order)

Acceber
The Seventh Hammer Server

Gratitude Field of Bone, Kunark - Acceber Qantaqa looks ahead as she receives the gratitude of Phara Dar (chosen representative of the Dragons), The Avatar of Tunare (The Mother of All) and General Norrath (Elected Leader of the People) for her part in the battles of the Evils of Norrath.

Acceber is a powerful level 85 druidess who worships Karana. She has helped take on The Fabled Criare Sunmane and The Fabled Xuzl to name just a few. Acceber has helped save the Dragon race with her gracious healing powers as well as help save all the races of Norrath. Phara Dar and the rest of Norrath smile down on Acceber on this day. As General Norrath put it, "May the Gods look favorably upon her and may Karana be proud of his woodland daughter."

Jyve
Antonius Bayle Server

Fear in the Bay Strange forces explode deep in the savage land known as The Feerrott, the planes are weakening, and evil entities are drawn out, to taste and feed on the mortals that exist outside their normal realms. Some of the stronger forces, with power unfathomable by the existing races, move on yet further. Wizards, not knowing of the stresses placed upon the world by their art, have weakened the planar boundaries still further: magic escapes, a roaring power that flows from its natural realm into the vacuum beyond, carrying with it, a force that was not meant to escape. The world darkens as this elemental creature that was not meant to be in this realm coalesces into a towering beast and slowly, methodically, moves towards where it senses the life and fear that will sustain it.

It can be stopped, it will be stopped and returned to whence it came.

It must be stopped.

Merlu
Maelin Starpyre Server

Sneak Attack The sounds of battle are overwhelming, the clash of the swords, the crash of the lightning, and the cries of the wounded as they are struck down. The dead and dying of both sides littered the forest and the smell of fire and blood filled the air. Something was pulling me onward as if some unseen force was driving me along my path. I came to the edge of a clearing and the two women standing there had to be none other than Firiona and Lanys from the stories I had heard.

The battle raged on around them, but these two were locked in a struggle, each seeming to mirror their opponent's movements in perfect harmony. It was if they could go on for eternity without a victor ever being decided. I watched in amazement of the skill of the two, when suddenly a Teir'Dal knight sprang from the woods sword raised over his head directly behind Firiona. I knew I had to act quickly. Before the knight was able to bring down his blade into his would-be victim I lunged from the shadow and thrust my dagger deep into his back. His sword slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. I heard Lanys gasp —- her plot had failed and Firiona still lived. The rest is still a haze, but the battle raged on.

I joined in with the forces of Firiona until the call for retreat was made. Only later did I hear about the rift to Hate being torn open and what happened to those unfortunate souls who remained. The one thing that will always remain crisp in my memory, was when Firiona herself made her way up to me after the battle and simply said, "Thank you," before she was whisked away.

Oriaas
The Tribunal Server

Path of a Hero While the title of Hero may be gifted by a single action, the path of a Timeless Hero is defined by many actions over the course of time. Aside from the actions a person may perform, how those actions are perceived by others eventually crafts the Timeless Hero.

As my path has progressed, I have helped almost anyone who I have come across. Be it a quest or a question about tradeskills or advice on playing a warrior. Countless times I have found someone to loot an item after a fight I initiated for sport. The most memorable was getting a low level Ranger from PoK to Wakening Lands to loot a bow. While he probably no longer uses the item, he told me it was an adventure getting there.

Anytime I meet someone in game I try to leave them better off than when I found them. Over the years, tales of my deeds have been passed along. More often than not, when I meet someone for the first time they claim to have heard of me - be it from gameplay or my activities outside of the game.

Oriaas is a simple warrior. His actions define him more so than anything else. This is how I always picture him - a warrior with many facets. Making do with what he has. Understanding that what anyone becomes in game is based on many more things than just a single person and what someone else becomes may depend on him. Fiercely loyal and never willing to back down when someone is in need. He may not always be the most pleasant person you come across, but if he calls you a "friend" then you have earned his respect.

Rouan
The Tribunal Server

Rouan Versus The 2nd Dimension Basically my idea was the depiction of my early days open raiding on the Tribunal via Maclyon's open raids on the Tribunal. The memories are foggy now, but I remember I got to weaponshield a few of the raid mobs at the end of a few fight as the crap started to hit the fan from the main and auxiliary tanks dying. There's no prouder a moment for a ranger than saving the raid with weaponshield.

So in this work I am depicting me saving a raid (represented by a dead tank and a cleric to cut down on clutter) against Rydda'Dar, one of the more dreaded mobs during the open raid days.

As for the composition I had gone through tons of compositions. In fact, I haven't done anything art-wise in 2 years (which shows, heh). So a lot of what I was trying just never worked. Finally, with hours left, I got a composition that I could sorta work. I decided to go with a mixed media approach so there's some work with colored pencil, dry pastels, and some work done on the computer.

Souldor
Erollisi Marr Server

The Liberation of the Iksar I had originally wanted to be an author in life, a few years back when I started playing EverQuest (and I have been playing for 8 years now). I had a side project; I was writing a novel about my EQ character, Souldor. I had this whole big storyline spread out through 4 books all planned out. I would have given the text for this image submission in relation to my book, but last summer struck me with bad luck, and my laptop was stolen, so I lost everything I had written.

The major part about my character, in my storyline, is that he was a Human Shadow Knight for the first half of the storyline; then he had fallen in battle. With the magic of a powerful Iksar Necromancer, he was reincarnated as an Iksar, and known to the Iksar as Reincarnate. Towards the end he changes his name to Souldor again... etc (I actually lost my first account, with my Human SK named Souldor, and after 2 years of taking a break off EQ, started a new account with an Iksar SK named Reincarnate, and recently changed his name to Souldor - coincidence I'm sure!).

Anyway, this image is one of the ways Reincarnate had to prove himself to the Iksar race. He travelled to the ruins of Old Sebilis, where he slew most of the Froglok and Sebilite invaders. He faced the dragon Trakanon and proved his worth when he returned to New Cabilis to inform his brethren they could return to their original home, and rebuild their past.

Needless to say, he was well accepted among the Iksar race.

Straha
The Seventh Hammer Server
Also of WTF Comics

WTF 10 Years of EverQuest WTF 10 Years of EverQuest is what sprang to mind when I tried to think of an image to sum up my personal experience with EverQuest over the last 10 years. I often hear from players who say I've reminded them of their best memories shared in the world of Norrath through my own and often think about how, while the individual experiences players have are incredibly unique, they are also tied together by the shared environment of EverQuest.

Whenever people tell an EQ story it's easy to see how it's special to them and how it's easier for them to tell you their story knowing that you understand since you have your own stories from the same world. I've always felt lucky being able to remind and share in these stories with fellow players and I've gotten letters from all over the world from people I never would have known were it not for that shared experience and sometimes just those simple stories about a game are able to brighten someone's day halfway around the world when they really need it which is amazing in and of itself.

When trying to think of a way to sum up the last 10 years in EverQuest, all the personal experiences I've had and shared with others, looking back on how things have changed and how others haven't, the idea for not just one image but a series was the only real choice. After that decision the format was easy: the image all players have shared and watched change over the years, the loading screen. Happy Anniversary EQ; and more importantly… to all the players of EverQuest.

Terminat
Maelin Starpyre Server

Embracing Discord, the Path towards the End With Innoruuk invading his thoughts, the Teir'Dal Terminat Hora'Diem is seen here embracing the power of discord, unknowingly stepping closer to fulfilling his namesake. Upon creation of the Teir'Dal race, Innoruuk had more in mind than to create his own race. He wanted revenge for being shunned by his fellow gods. He wanted to bring the "end" to Norrath.

It was first thought that Mayong would be the one to fulfill this dark desire, but like Innoruuk, Mayong had his own agenda of ascending from an immortal vampire, into a god. Mayong had been a failure for the Prince of Hate, but when Innoruuk learned of the Riftseekers using the Plane of Time to corrupt the fabric of reality, he spawned a new vessel for his apocalyptic dream, he named this dark elf "Terminat".

Terminat was never to be aware of his dark destiny, and neither was anyone else. This would be Innoruuk's greatest achievement and no one would ever know he was responsible. With Innoruuk whispering in his ear, Terminat would inadvertently help facilitate the death of the life giver dragon, Veeshan, tear apart the fabric of time and destroy the world of Norrath, leaving nothing but The Void.

Now that Terminat has learned of how he was used, he has set forth with his fellow adventurers from The Void to repair the time line and restore the world of Norrath. Terminat may be The End, but he will also be a new beginning.

Tnexus
Prexus Server

Destruction Vs. Preservation Journal Entry #245 They say in all things there's balance. With light, there is darkness, with evil, there is good, and where there is destruction, there's preservation. What Rallos has done is unforgivable. No, what I have done is unforgivable. I was there at the beginning, you know. When he first sent his soldiers to slaughter those innocent towns. I stood there and watched. I could have helped, yet I did nothing. I turned my back on my own kind and praised my so-called god for his "blessing" on Norrath. When I was bested by the opposing army, I felt his presence laughing at my weakness as he left me to die that day.

My god had turned his back on his servant. Yet as I discovered later, not all gods were blind to my torment. She found me at my weakest, and turned me into my strongest. My desire for destruction was tempered into a weapon that Rallos fears most-- preservation. Tnexus the Warrior of Rallos Zek had died that day. In its place rose Tnexus the Ranger of Tunare.

For four years I've fought in her name to defend Norrath from him. Rallos is losing and he knows it. Murdunk is slain, the Rathe's curse is spreading, Eriak has been banished, and the twins have disappeared. All that remains is him. The assault to banish his avatar for good has begun. The plan for freeing his slaves is now underway, but I fear they will not make it out alive in time.

I know now what I must do. The cost of preservation must be bought with the balance of destruction. I turned my back to injustice once before, I will not do it again. This will be my last entry. May Tunare be with us all.