The clockwork dragon of Ak'Anon
A clockwork dragon the gnomes built in ages past to defy the gods and protect Ak'Anon; it went rogue and was imprisoned beneath the city or banished.
Overview
Drawn from akanon — zone description.EQ1Community article · best available source
Ak'Anon is an ancient city, built into the edge of the mountains long ago by the gnomes who call it home. Half fortress and half laboratory, the gnomes have been developing their clockwork machines and defenses here for generations, and show no signs of stopping. In ages past, the gnomes were so powerful as to defy the gods and build their own clockwork dragon to protect the city, but when it went rogue, it was either imprisoned far beneath the city or banished to another land. Eons have passed since, however, and the truth of the gnomes prior glory may never be known.
SurroundingAreas ---------------- The gnomes have long made their dwellings in the Steamfont Mountains and, although they have not tamed that wild region, have established themselves as a strong force there. They run several large windmills in the mountains, generating power for some as-yet-unrevealed project, and the Observers have set up their observatories in the far reaches of the mountains.
Further afield lies the vast untamed expanse of Lesser Faydark and, hidden within, the lair of the evil vampire Mistmoore. The gnomes have a small presence in this forest, more to protect their communications with the elves and dwarves beyond than to stake a claim within the forest itself.
TravellingTo andFromAk'Anon --------------------------- Ak'Anon can be reached by travelling through the Steamfont Mountains, and lies nestled in a small valley in the southern edge of it. The ever-churning machines of the gnomes can be seen marking the outside of their city, and these may in fact be engines of war, although it is hard for those who aren't gnomes (and some who are) to tell.
To the west lies the narrow chasm that opens into Lesser Faydark. The small gnome outpost lies very near the opening on the other side, and a short distance to the northwest lies the entrance to Greater Faydark and the cities of the wood elves and high elves. Far to the west of Greater Faydark lies the underground home of the dwarves.
LocalColor ---------- Places
Ak'Anon reflects its inhabitants, unique and slightly reclusive, sticking to their own while, at the same time, forming a cohesive whole. The separate guild halls within the city lie far apart and in their own sections of the city itself, but there are several central hubs of activity within the city.
Community articles
1Fan-written encyclopedia entries — useful overviews, lower authority than the primary sources above.