Erud's Crossing
Named for the leader of the Erudite emigrants, Erud, this intercontinental expanse of water lies between Antonica and Odus, and was the final destination of Erud's journey. This oceanic pass is used to this day by both Qeynos and Erudin as the primary route for trade ships traveling between the two cities.
A single tropical island, Talysra's Paw, acts as the only stop in the voyage from qeynos to Erudin. An inverted volcano engulfs the whole of the center of the island, making this terrain dangerous to those who are not mindful of their steps. This island has a bumpy wide sand bar running along the north half of it and is decorated in tropical palms and grasses.
The beings who inhabit this island are a secluded sect of kerran society native to Odus, known as the tribe of Laahr. The Laahr have named the island after their newly found cat god, Talysra - a matter of believe that was responsible for the Laahr's departure from the isle of Kerra Ridge, where their upstart religion was decidedly unwelcome. The Laahr constructed a modest village amongst the densest grove of the isle's tropical palms. Although small, the village provides adequate facilities for any traveler.
A small dock, built by the Laahr tribe to welcome foreign guests and promote economic exchange, resides on the northern shore of Talysra's Paw. Both ships that make the trip between Erudin from Qeynos will make brief stops at the island's docks. These ships, the Maiden's Voyage and the Golden Mermaid, comprise the only means of travel to this remote destination and, unless one has passage by way of a druid or wizard's spell, the only means of travel back.
To the north of Talysra's Paw on the floor of the sea, can be found the sunken remains of a large vessel and the undead sailors who eternally guard the wreckage. The legends say that a man named Kenox stole Marnek's Wand of the Burning Dead and set sail for Erudin. Kenox had high hopes of meeting with the Deepwater Knights upon the waters of Erud's Crossing. AS the two vessels met, it is said that the Wand of the Burning Dead erupted into flames and then a supernova of magic and fire, believed to have been caused by the enraged Marnek himself, incinerated both vessels and condemned the sailors to eternally wander the ocean floor as the undead.[1]
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Map
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Safe/Evac Spot
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Dangers
TLDR: Many NPCs on the island assist each other, even across types. Kerrans assist beetles (and maybe more). Wisps assist each other and path all over. And there's no escape in the zone, really... short of gating out of the zone or gating far enough away from crowd-controlled enemies that you can camp out before CC breaks and they run you down again.
This island is a very dangerous zone for several reasons. First of all, there is practically no escape from enemies if you run into trouble and are overwhelmed. There is no zone edge that anyone can easily swim to, and no guards to protect you. It is even impossible to flee into the water when chased, because most monsters will chase you there as well.
Secondly, the ecosystem of the island is quite variable and the monsters have an intricate relationship. The following information is mostly secondhand, but reliable as far as what happens on the island. First of all the island is very small, so it is not uncommon to have monsters of the same type as the one you're fighting wander by and join in. All monsters (besides Kerra Snakes) will join with others of their type. Secondly, many of the monsters are intertwined in their relationships, the most complex being the beetles and spiders. The Kerra Isle Beetles are well-liked by the Kerrans who hang out by the dock. As such, killing the beetles can make getting on and off the island difficult, as these Kerrans will begin to hate you and are also among the most powerful monsters here. Also, killing the beetles can result in the spawning of Island Madmen by the docks, some of whom are extremely dangerous spellcasters and all of whom are powerful and aggressive. They can also cause Fire Elementals to spawn in the volcano, which are aggressive and high level. These have also been known to swarm the island. The spiders represent a different problem, and that is that they all seem to know what is going on elsewhere on the island. Attacking one is a quick way to draw others to you, and there are rumors that the entire island's population of spiders has occasionally swarmed an attacker.
The other danger is, as mentioned above, the unpredictability of the spawn rates. For instance, the zombie sailors generally spawn at a regular rate and can provide good hunting. There are rumors that, however, there are occasions when the zombie sailors spawn en masse and swarm the island. Skeleton sailors occasionally spawn in their place, and are much tougher. The other problem with the island in general is that you must be very aware of how small it is and how easily it is for others to join in on the fight. This was mentioned before, but needs to be emphasized. You should not come here to hunt evens and upper hands solo, you will assuredly die at some point because another will join in. This happens with all the monsters, not just those specifically mentioned above.
Benefits
The biggest benefit to hunting in Erud's Crossing is hunting willowisps. There are 9 spawns on the island, wandering around from the beach up into the middle of the volcano. They require magical weapons, level 12 pet spells, or spells to hit (though they can hurt each other when charmed). They are pretty decent experience in and of themselves, but they also drop lightstones and greater lightstones. GLSs can be turned in at gypsy camps (north karana, south ro, maybe other spots too) for an item that sells for 9pp and for a BUNCH of experience. Lightstones can be sold to vendors for 1pp or turned in at the same camps for less experience and an item that sells for around 1 gold. Soloing wisps in Erud's from levels 12-16 will fill your bags with GLSs that will get you another level or two in turnins and hundreds of pp.
The island Kerrans can also be hunted. They are warriors, around level 15, and usually can be pulled solo. You lose faction and eventually become KOS however.
Unless you are KOS with the kerrans, there is one near the docks who is a merchant. Wisps drop quite a bit of copper and silver and gold, but if you use this merchant to sell and rebuy gems you can basically bank with a small tax to turn small coin into gold or plat to reduce the weight.
(Pretty impractical information, but preserved for posterity: Despite the above dangers, this island can be a great deal of fun to hunt in. The danger makes it very exciting, and there is a great deal of strategy to hunting without being swarmed. The island is also generally not very heavily hunted, and has a good variety of creatures, although people generally come to hunt the wisps that frequently spawn and the zombie sailors because of their rawhide armor and for quests out of Qeynos.
There is also a strong sense of comraderie among the people on the island. Basically, one person killing the wrong monster or starting the wrong train can result in the death or near-death of virtually every person on the island, so there is a willingness to help out here that you rarely see elsewhere. The smallness of the island makes you feel like you are in your own little world, with only the occasional boat to take you to safety.)
Traveling To and From
Erud's Crossing can only be reached via the ferry that runs from South Qeynos (the long dock at the end of Mermaid's Lure) to Erudin. When coming from Qeynos, the ferry runs along the shore for quite some time before actually reaching the docks, so many impatient adventurers jump ship and swim for shore. This also helps you to avoid the Kerrans at the docks. When on the boat from Erudin to Qeynos, the boat passes far north of the island, but if you are an able swimmer you could jump ship and make it to the island. Catching the boat to Qeynos this way, however, is significantly more difficult. The zone line to Erudin is at -4347, 4829.
Garden Variety's Glorious Adventures and Travel Guide to Erud's Crossing
Erud's Crossing is both the name of the ocean crossing between Odus and Antonica and the name of a small volcanicly dormant island between the two continents. The island serves as a waypoint between destinations. Some marine treasure hunters also use the island as a base of operations to search for ships that crashed ashore during the frequent harsh weather of the crossing.
Erud’s Crossing has but a single island between Odus and Antonica, a volcano that made an island within recent years. This island has been taken by a group of Kerrans who appear to have revolted against those at Kerra’s Ridge, and have a good colony to start a new life. A ship traveling between Qeynos and Erudin has been lost in the area, and hopes were high that survivors might be found. However, as time goes by, this hope diminishes. This island is good for younger to slightly more experienced parties, and is a great break from other areas to get away from the worries of everyday life on a more tropical vacation.
The single dock on the Southeastern side of the island is a stopping point for The Golden Maiden as it heads from Erudin to South Qeynos, as well as The Sea King, as she makes her journey from South Qeynos to Erudin.
Forageable Items
| Zone | Item | Edible | Stack | Lore | Magic | Nodrop | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | Fruit | Y | Y | N | N | N | can be used in brewing and baking |
| All | Berries | Y | Y | N | N | N | can be used in brewing and baking |
| All | Vegetables | Y | Y | N | N | N | can be used in brewing and baking |
| All | Rabbit Meat | Y | Y | N | N | N | can be used in baking to make a stew |
| All | Roots | Y | Y | N | N | N | can be used in brewing |
| All | Pod of Water | Y | Y | N | N | N | can be used in brewing to make normal flasks of water |
| All | Fishing Grubs | N | Y | N | N | N | Used w/ Fishing Skill |
| Erud's Crossing | Seahorse Roe | Y | Y | N | N | N |
Bestiary
Found 0 NPC's that spawn in Erud's Crossing.
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Items
Found 0 items that are found in Erud's Crossing.
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Quests
Found 0 quests that start in Erud's Crossing.
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References
- ↑ Excerpt taken from Everquest Atlas: The Maps of Myrist by Amanda Flock. Published December 31st 2002 by Sony Online Entertainment, Inc. ISBN10: 0972149503 (ISBN13: 9780972149501).
