Talk:Tarton's Wheel (Item)

Tarton's Wheel Lore from EQ2
The in-game book you read to work on the quest gives you the following lore:

I have found what appears to be an old book of poetry which mentions something of an object known as Tarton's Wheel. It seems to give some clues as to where I might find the rods mentioned within. They seem to hint at the planar power the wheel posesses.

page 1 -- The Wheel of Tarton -- Tarton Had a Wheel That Once He Built Ten Spokes to Wood Bound by a Star Tarton Had a Wheel To Roam the Planes Shaped Twice by Ice To Guide His Way

page 2 Tarton Had a Wheel That Once He Lost Clash In the Sky To Earth He Fell Tarton Had a Wheel<BR> Was Sundered Past<BR> The Pieces Scattered<BR> Across the World<BR><BR>

page 3<BR> The next few pages are torn and unreadable. Only a few scattered scribblings and letters can be made out.<BR><BR>

page 13<BR> Tarton Had a Wheel<BR> That Once Was Found<BR> By many elf Aataltaal<BR> In Waters of Norrath<BR> Tarton Had a Wheel<BR> Restored to its Form<BR> Ten Spokes to Wood<BR> Bound by a Star<BR><BR>

page 14<BR> Aataltaal Had a Wheel<BR> To Roam the Planes<BR> Shaped Twice by Ice<BR> To Guide His Revenge<BR> Aataltaal Had a Wheel<BR> Like the World Shattered<BR> Doors to Gods Closed<BR> To Earth Pieces Fell<BR><BR>

page 15<BR> A world of islands knows many ports,<BR> But one of old still doth abide.<BR> Wreckage above and so too below<BR> Is where this rod does hide.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Azia.<BR><BR>

page 16<BR> With rabid fury the mistress hunted,<BR> Those who sought to kill,<BR> On lands now ruled by amber stalks,<BR> And ruled by those who till.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Beza.<BR><BR>

page 17<BR> The whole earth shudders,<BR> With each thunderous shock,<BR> As the Maiden of Shadows,<BR> Comes to earth as burning rock.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Caza.<BR><BR>

page 18<BR> In the shadows of the dark forest,<BR> Where dark people are bound,<BR> Even the mightiest torrent,<BR> Will not wash it from ground.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Dena.<BR><BR>

page 19<BR> Bound by a Star from the wheel he sought to learn,<BR> The mysteries of planar travel.<BR> He desired immortal life,<BR> Instead his spirit and flesh hath unravel.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Ena.<BR><BR>

page 20<BR> Among a people who do not care,<BR> For the power it might instill,<BR> Lies this tool of terrible power,<BR> Where only stomachs seek a fill.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Fana.<BR><BR>

page 21<BR> They sought war with the gods<BR> When challenge on Norrath was no longer.<BR> Even in the dankest swamp,<BR> Rock more than flesh is stronger.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Geza.<BR><BR>

page 22<BR> Here reside the everliving,<BR> Though they are devoid of life.<BR> Such beings of patchwork flesh,<BR> Yet slumber for respite from strife.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Heda.<BR><BR>

page 23<BR> A shadowed man will let you in,<BR> The monument you?d best avoid.<BR> Its halls of lore offer much,<BR> But of sanity they are devoid.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Izah.<BR><BR>

page 24<BR> Many wizards have sought to live<BR> In a perpetual undead state.<BR> Lich is the name we now know<BR> As the first necromancer's fate.<BR> This is where, in a dream, I spied Jaka.<BR><BR>

I have found all the rods of Tarton's Wheel and have reassembled them. While powerful in its own right the wheel seems to have lost some of its magic, perhaps there may be a way to reclaim the use it must have once been imbued with.

The Wheel of Tarton Quest from EQ1
You say, "Hail, Sulgar".<BR><BR> Sulgar says "Hail, traveler! Would you happen to [know] the location of any of the spokes of Tarton's Wheel?"<BR><BR> You say, "I don't know the location of tarton's wheel".<BR><BR> Sulgar says "Tarton's Wheel was a device that Tarton constructed to let him travel through the planes. If you are [interested] in helping me reassemble it, I will [reward] you well." You say, "I am interested".<BR><BR> Sulgar says "Tarton's Wheel was split into 10 separate pieces. These pieces were then scattered across the face of Norrath. I have a [tome] that I can [give] you, detailing the wheel of Tarton, as well as a [wheel case] that you can have when you are ready to assemble the pieces."<BR><BR> You say, "Would you give me the tome?"<BR><BR> Sulgar says "This tome details the wheel of Tarton, and the lore on where the pieces of it may be found. Use it in good faith."<BR><BR>

The Wheel of Tarton<BR> Tarton had a wheel<BR> That once he built<BR> Ten spokes to wood<BR> Bound by a star<BR>

Tarton had a wheel<BR> To roam the planes<BR> Shaped twice by ice<BR> To guide his way<BR>

Tarton had a wheel<BR> That once he lost<BR> Clash in the Sky<BR> To earth he fell<BR>

Tarton had a wheel<BR> Was sundered past<BR> The pieces scattered<BR> Across the world<BR><BR>

AZIA<BR>

In the crossin<BR> Of the waters<BR> Rests a ship<BR> On its side<BR>

Drown sailors<BR> Swim around it<BR> Past this ship<BR> The Azia lies<BR><BR>

BEZA<BR>

In the land<BR> Of wind and snow<BR> This stream of water<BR> Does not flow<BR>

Below the ice<BR> Upon dry land<BR> The Beza rests<BR> Held by no hand<BR><BR>

CAZA<BR>

In the Lake of Rathe<BR> An island looms<BR> It hides a treasure<BR> In its womb<BR>

A stone tower<BR> Protected sleeps<BR> Those who guard it<BR> Can not weep<BR><BR>

DENA<BR>

A cauldron stews<BR> But does not boil<BR> Its edges rock<BR> Not dirt or soil<BR>

Inside the cauldron<BR> Lurks a door<BR> The Dena lies<BR> Some paces score<BR><BR>

ENA<BR>

Once trolls did live<BR> Within these halls<BR> Then vengeance struck<BR> Their might did fall<BR>

A well of water<BR> Upside down<BR> The Ena rests<BR> Yet does not drown<BR><BR>

FANA<BR>

The tears of Marr<BR> A pool make<BR> Two towers stand<BR> Within this lake<BR>

In one tower<BR> Guarded high<BR> The Fana dreams<BR> Of sleeping dry<BR><BR>

GEZA<BR>

Upon the mountain<BR> Through the pass<BR> The Tiger Roars<BR> With eyes of glass<BR>

The Tiger sees<BR> The waters fall<BR> Geza is held<BR> Under its thrall<BR><BR>

HEDA<BR>

Under this city<BR> Upon the coast<BR> Tunnels stretch<BR> And secrets boast<BR>

Two dark pits<BR> Within the ground<BR> Fins circle Heda<BR> Round and round<BR><BR>

IZAH<BR>

Under the Mountain<BR> Where the sunless mass<BR> The Blind Fish swims<BR> With eyes of glass<BR>

The Blind Fish sees<BR> Through azure haze<BR> The Izah rests<BR> Within its gaze<BR><BR>

JAKA<BR>

Upon this house<BR> Wars laid a Doom<BR> Its owners rise<BR> From beyond the tomb<BR>

Now sunken is<BR> A Dwarven crest<BR> Where the Jaka lies<BR> But can not rest<BR>

The Story Behind the Wheel of Time
The fear he had borne those many, many long year, since the end of the Age of Combine, had come to pass: The disapperance of the gods, Yes, for hundreds of years now that had been known as the Lost Age, and of course that name was given by those who knew little to nothing of events during that time.

Of course, few - perhaps none - had lived a life as long and eventfu as this ancient elf called Aataltaal. Now, it seems, he'd outlasted even the gods.

The elf looked up into the bright night sky and watched Luclin's continuing disintergration. A flaming meteor, no doubt a portion of the sphere of the Maiden of Shadows, soared fast and low just to the south of him. Lightning traced the rock's path through the swirling clouds, and Aataltaal was certain he felt the wind and heat generated by the meteor.

The destruction of Luclin, named for the goddess who was for countless years beyond the reach of mortals, was a metaphor for the fate of all created races... as well as for the gods themselves. Even if they were not dead, the gods who birthed the races of Norrath and had guided the events of millennia, including the seemingly wanton destruction of all they had so assiduously crafted, were beyond any mortal's reach. The immortals might as well be dead for all they could do on behalf of those who relied upon them, those who worshipped them. Likewise, there was little to be done by one such as Aataltaal, who sough to slay gods, or at least some - partculary one! - among their number.

As he sat on the Luclin-blasted landscape of the Thundering Stepps, with no other living entity around for league upon league, Aataltaal gave himself over wholly to these reflections. And soon his vision returned.

In the long past age of Combine, Aataltaal had foreseen the fall of that great empire. He tried toward emperor katta, but neither of them understood the meaning of the vision fully enough. Of course, Aataltaal considered that failure to be his own: It was his magic that had crafted the visions, his knowledge that should have deciphered them, and even hos plans that had set the fracturing of the Combine into motion. Granted, the plans of those against whom he toiled, General Seru and his fell sorcereres, were a considerable part of the events that brought the empire to its knees.

Ages had passed since then, and yet another was dawning in this time of the broken moon, and still Aataltaal toiled. He had victories to relish and humbling defeats to rue, and still his nemesis Opal Darkbriar dogged him. She thought to have won the day in Freeport, but he had meant the promise he made to the humans there after he saw them safely westward across the ocean of Tears. That city, like his battle against the gods, might seem lost at present, but the Wheel of Time always rolled round again. The trick was stopping the wheel when it was properly poised for one's purpose.

Of Course, managing one's own fate in this way was something that had proved beyond the capability of even the gods (at least as far as Aataltaal knew), but it was an end the elf yet dreamed possible.

He had to believe those dreams. So much else that he had foreseen had come to pass. The citadel floating over the city of freeport. The confiscation of the Books of Knowledge. The shattering of Luclin, and the consequent loss of those first mortals of the Combine Empire who fled there with Katta's lifeless-yet-living body. The death of Seru he had also foreseen, though one had to take that death on faith since there was no body to be seen. Some things were not as yet entirely clear. Indeed now was a time of great flux. The winners and losers of this age Could not yet be clearly foretold - if in the everyday life of Norrath, or the Shattered Lands formerly known as Norrath, things could be judged in such simple terms. The two great cities that survived at this moment in time evidently considered themselves winners, and perhaps righty so.

Qeynos and Freeport, once standing at opposite ends of his beloved Tunaria, more recently called Antonica. As they had once stood geographically, so too did they stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of light and dark - a spectrum of finite morality Aataltaal himself straddled completly, that he was in fact beyond in a way that the earth itself or the constellations were beyond.

The same oracular power that had once led Emperor Katta to seek Aataltaal's advice in the Lost Age now suggested that the one who might finally bring the Wheel of Time to a safe halt would pass through the land in which he now stood. So the wizened elf sat here, a ragged journal in his hands. It was an ancient tome, and to any lesser mage it would have seemed a great prize. But it had been Aataltaal's for centuries now, and his own notes were now recorded within. To him it was not an artifact, it was merely a possession.

Ah, but what it led to! - that was an artifact: Tarton's Wheel.

Long ago Tarton constructed his Wheel so that he might travel the planes. The elves of Takish-Hiz had been the first to make such a journey, having labored for over a century to find the means to enter Innoruuk's Plane of Hate. Spells for such travel eventually became commonplace among those wizard capable of channeling sufficient mana, but Tarton wanted more, something that might take him beyond the realms where the gods dwelt in semi-real forms that could be defeated but never seemed to die.

Tarton wanted access the the heart of the of the univers itself, where the essences of the gods could be confronted and destroyed altogether. And so, of course, did Aataltaal.

It was unclear even to Aataltaal wheter or not Tarton had actually managed to use his creation for its ultimate purpose. He though not, for surely there would have been tremendous repercussions for a mortal undertaking such a journey, yet such consequences might well have occured with no mortal being the wiser, for few knew the events or stakes at issue and none could say how, precisely, the effects might be felt.

This kind of shadow-war Aataltaal had now waged for millennia. At nearly every turn he was foiled or brought short, but often the forces thrown against him created ripples in the world at large. He had managed to assemble the ten spokes of Tarton's Wheel, but then the ripples of causality began to spread. Perhaps his estimation of his importance or the danger he or his quest posed to the gods - at least to Innoruuk - was inflated, but it seemed likely that all of the divinities must fear his success. Perhaps the roadblocks set before him were concidental, but he thought not.

Regardless, it was no coincidence, surely, that very laws and fabric of the universe were altered as soon as Aataltaal possessed and assembled all the pieces of the Wheel. The global destruction had begun to subside the moment he disassembled the artifact and spread the pieces once again.

He wished he believed in happenstance, for then he would not be haunted by the ghosts of the countless thousands who perished in the catastrophes that had rocked Norrath. Now he had that blood on his hands, just as he was haunted by specter of the Combine Empire and the restless souls of those elves transformed by the Prince of Hate when the rescue of their sovereigns went away.

So it was that here, in the lifless waste of the Thundering Steppes, Aataltaal drafted the final portion of this journal. The writings concerned the first piece of Tarton's Wheel, called Azia. Once he had finished, he would place the journal in the magically locked chest, which he would then send secretly to the docks of the Steppes. There, only an individual with one of two proper keys - a pair of inconspious emerald Aataltaal would sell, one each, to vendors within the two sities of the former Tunaria - could recover the journal.

With the journal in hand, an individual might begin his own cycle through time, If Aataltaal's perceptions of his visions were accurate this time, then the one destined to find his journal might just sneak beneath the notice of the gods, and use the Wheel succesfully without arousing the kind of wholesale destruction Aataltaal himself had caused.

And that's why it seemed so reasonable to leave a riddle regarding the ancient city called Wielle for last, because Freeport was where change needed to begin.

(Source: Everquest II Role-playing Game Player's Guide )