As we announced yesterday, pre-orders for the Seeds of Destruction expansion, which is set to be released on Oct. 21, are now available.

In anticipation, SOE has released Part 2 of its "Unfolding the Lore" series. The article focuses on Oceangreen Hills, Oceangreen Village, Blackburrow and the Temple of Bertoxxulous.

Check it out in its entirety at EQ Players , or continue reading below. We've also posted a selection of screenshots, which can be found here .

Oceangreen After the fall of the Combine Empire, the majority of humankind spread out and occupied the center of what was then called Tunaria. These humans lived in small villages upon the fertile plains of Karana and in an area along the western coast called the Oceangreen Hills. Over time, several villages prospered and grew into small towns. Two of these towns were so successful as to eventually grow into full-fledged cities. On the eastern coast, Freeport grew to be a bustling port frequented by those braving the journey across the Ocean of Tears. To the west, the city of Qeynos grew from the foundations of Oceangreen village, under the noble rule of Antonius Bayle, the Great Unifier.

Oceangreen was made up primarily of lush green grassland and gently rolling hills. To the north, the Jaggedpine forest hampered travel towards the barbarian Northlands. To the east, a set of very high and steep hills cut off all access except for a tunnel that led to Blackburrow , home of the gnolls, and a narrow valley that led off to the great plains which are now known as the Plains of Karana. On the western borders of Oceangreen, several sets of steep hills existed in the northern region and an ocean bay in the southwest. The region was also the home to several different clans of Gnolls. However, only the largest of these clans, the Sabertooth clan, was violent towards human settlers.

Despite the growth and prosperity in the area, a dark specter loomed on the horizon. A plague had slowly begun to take root in the Oceangreen region affecting not only humans but animals and plant life as well. Travelers brought horrifying tales of twisted, gruesome animals that have been disfigured by the blight. The source of the plague lay undiscovered for many years.

Unbeknownst to the founders of Oceangreen village, a powerful temple to Bertoxxulous had been constructed along the outskirts of the city. As the village grew, so too did the power of the temple. Even the gnolls, once a real threat to hunters in the area, retreated into Blackburrow and barred the entrance. Then Antonius Bayle was born, and grew into a strong leader during the years that the plague from the hills began to infect the creatures and plant life of the Karanas.

Bayle led a group of hunters and warriors into the hills and founded a stronghold on the edge of the forest and began a campaign against the followers of Bertoxxulous. Over time he overcame his enemies and the druids of Karana were able to wash away the taint of the disease. Slowly things began to return to normal and Antonius Bayle went on to found a city on the bay and called it Qeynos.

But now the future of humankind is once again in jeopardy. The influence of the god of Discord has reached back through time to strengthen the plague and followers of Bertoxxulous. At such a critical moment in human history it will not take much to push them over the brink and forever change the history of Norrath. Without help the inhabitants of Oceangreen will surely be overcome by the power of this plague and usher in a new era of darkness for all humanity. Who will help to save them?

Oceangreen Village Oceangreen Village is a small human village within the Oceangreen Hills. With its simple wooden structures and humble surroundings, this small hamlet is on the edge of prosperity under the direction of Antonius Bayle. The plague has begun to creep towards the village, but has not yet infected the population at large.

The village is currently under attack by a force of Bertoxxulous worshippers and hordes of undead that spread disease and decay, infecting all life in the area. The temple can be accessed through a shard of corrupted stone that has breached the earth to the north of the village proper. Luckily for the villagers a force of heroes has risen up to help defend the village. These heroes are lead by a charismatic man named Antonius Bayle. Thus far the village has been fortunate enough to not have had to deal with the threat of the gnolls of Blackburrow, as they have shut themselves off from the Oceangreen hills in order to avoid the plague.

Blackburrow Blackburrow is the main home of the Sabertooth clan of gnolls in Oceangreen. The Sabertooth clan has recently claimed this lair as their own, locking themselves away from human invaders and the dark plague that threatens Oceangreen.

Along the western mountain side lives what remains of the Darkpaw gnolls, who seem to be disinterested in the affairs of human kind, as they are completely focused on returning to their home in the mines of Blackburrow. Though they hold no anger towards the growing human population they have no reason to trust in them either. Several are willing to form a tenuous truce with the humans in order to help drive the combative Sabertooth gnolls from their previous home.

Unfortunately for the gnolls, an agent of the Discord has a plan of its own. The agent is well on its way to corrupting the Sabertooth gnolls within Blackburrow; transforming them into a dark twisted reflection of their former selves. It will not be long before even the gnolls outside of Blackburrow begin to fall under their influence. The gnolls have already begun to show signs of increased aggression that surely can not bode well for Antonius and his followers.

The Temple of Bertoxxulous The Temple of Bertoxxulous is a hidden temple to the god Bertoxxulous. Bertoxxulous was so happy with his followers and this temple that he helped construct it himself, carving it out of the very stone with his own powers. The temple is dominated by human worshippers of Bertoxxulous and their numerous undead minions. They are a strict theocratic order that is fiercely militant in structure. They have also constructed a variety of magically animated guardians to discourage would-be heroes from interfering with their machinations.

The worshippers of Bertoxxulous have lived here secretly for decades, but have only recently become emboldened enough to spread their influence to the surface. Their once troublesome interferences have festered into a full blown plague that now threatens all of Tunaria. They must be stopped if the future of humanity is to remain intact.