The Story of the Hole

As told by Talloth Vara in Paineel:

Greetings. You have come to the Anthenaeum Necromanita. This place serves as the stores of knowledge for the Seekers of the Dark Truth.

The Dark Truth is what all the necromancers in Paineel seek to learn. The real truth is far more interesting.

The Necromancers here are called the Seekers of the Dark Truth. The leader of the Seekers is known as the Speaker of the Dark Truth. The current Speaker is Coriante Verisue. She does however, have many rivals.

I support Coriante due to my respect for her. Many have no such respect and covet her power and her position. One such individual is Darton, the Seeker's Chief Researcher. He is a direct descendent of Dartain, a hero to our people.

That is a long story indeed. Many years ago, the Heretics and the people of Erudin had a grand battle. In the ensuing battles, great magics were performed and many catastophic effects plagued these lands. A good example of which, would be the Hole.

The Hole is a mysterious creation indeed. It was also a remarkable find. Within the vast caverns created by the magical battles, we found something very interesting. The Seekers call it the Vault. Much was done to research the Vault, but that is a story in and of itself.

From what I can discern, the Vault is created from a living stone. It was an artifact that was created by Brell Serelis to seal the passageway that he had opened from the Plane of Underfoot to Norrath. The Vault was to keep Norrath safe from some of the more vicious denizens of the Plane of Underfoot. Something went terribly wrong.

During the Seekers investigation of the Vault, they weakened its properties. In doing so, it released hordes of Earthen Elementals into our fine city. Had Dartain not sacrificed himself, we would surely be an extinct race.

When the Seekers developed a patch for the Vault, they sent Dartain in to magically reseal the gateway. He was set upon by multiple denizens of the Plane of Underfoot, and escaped into the Vault.
There, with full knowledge that he would be trapped, he magically sealed the Vault once again, allowing us the freedom to create the new city that you stand in now.

You know not what I speak of? You should have really paid more attention to your studies. The city which you live in now, is New Paineel. The ruins of the old city are in the blight we call the Hole.

The old city was marvelous indeed. The one that we have rebuilt barely captures the majesty that the old city once bore. It is still quite remarkable even in its destruction, however it is heavily guarded by the minions of the Underfoot.

The creatures that now call the old city home, are led by the Earthen Lord Yael. He is a force to be reckoned with, as he commands only the strongest of the elemental legions. Tread softly if you see him, for he will not hesitate to take your life. I grow tired child. Please, enough stories for today. I must rest.