Alatar Locke

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Character Summary

Alatar Locke

Race:

Isparian (Aluvian)

Associated Groups:

Exploration Society

Eras Active:

Related Characters:

Alatar Locke is a famous early explorer of Dereth.<ref name="ANoteFromIquba">1999/11 Release - A note from Iquba</ref><ref name="TheLostLight">Date Unknown The Mysterious Portals Archive - The Lost Light</ref><ref name="GeneralHistoryOfDerethVolXI">2000/12 The Child of Daralet - General History of Dereth Vol. XI</ref><ref name="TheExplorationsOfAlatarLocke">2001/11 Dark Majesty - The Explorations of Alatar Locke</ref>

Alatar is from a region of Aluvia not unlike the rich farmland of the Plains of Gaerwel on Dereth.<ref name="QuickRefCard">1999/11 Release - Quick Reference Card</ref> He is of the highest education that Aluvia could provide, taught by the most brilliant Gharu'ndim scholars his father could afford.<ref name="AnExplorersNotes">2001/11 Dark Majesty - An Explorer's Notes</ref> It is not known exactly when Alatar arrived in Dereth, however, it is known that he explored The Floating City at least a decade prior to any other Isparians,<ref name="TheExplorationsOfAlatarLocke" /> which means he explored it in Harvestgain, Portal Year 1, if not earlier.<ref name="GeneralHistoryOfDerethVolXI" />

In his early days of exploration, Alatar was famously the first Isparian to chart the Direlands,<ref name="TheExplorationsOfAlatarLocke" />, the first to explore the Halls of the Lost Light,<ref name="TheExplorationsOfAlatarLocke" /><ref name="TheLostLight" /> and as previously mentioned, the first to explore The Floating City.<ref name="TheExplorationsOfAlatarLocke" /> Alatar also explored the Swamp Temple in the Blackmire Swamp,<ref name="SwampTempleTome">1999/11 Release - Swamp Temple Tome</ref> and many other dungeons throughout Dereth.<ref name="InuoKonKousBook">1999/11 Release - Inuo-Kon Kou's Book</ref>

Alatar is an old friend of Elysa Strathelar, and the two corresponded up to Portal Year 4.<ref name="ACrumpledLetter">2003/05 Discoveries - A Crumpled Letter</ref> Alatar was still active up to Portal Year 10. In his text on the festival stones, as well as the map credited to him that was provided to new arrivals, he mentions both the towns of Al-Arqas and Lytelthorpe,<ref name="TheFestivalStonesOfTheEmpyrean">2000/03 Darkness Ascendant - The Festival Stones of the Empyrean</ref><ref name="QuickRefCard" /> which we know to have been founded in Portal Year 10.<ref name="ACManualAlArqas">1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Al-Arqas</ref><ref name="AlArqasTNSign">2010/06 Shifting Gears - Al-Arqas (Town Network Sign)</ref><ref name="ACManualLytelthorpe">1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Lytelthorpe</ref><ref name="LytelthorpeTNSign">2010/06 Shifting Gears - Lytelthorpe (Town Network Sign)</ref>

Despite this, by Harvestgain, 12 PY, the scholars of the Zaikhal Arcanum feared that Alatar may have been lost before Lifestones rose.<ref name="ACDMCDLoreIntroduction">2001/11 Dark Majesty - AC:DM CD Lore: Introduction</ref><ref name="TheExplorationsOfAlatarLocke" /> It is not known why they thought this, but perhaps they were unaware of his more recent activity, or perhaps they thought he had never attuned to a lifestone.

Thankfully, the Arcanum's judgement was wrong in this case. In Seedsow, 13 PY, adventurers discovered Alatar Locke residing in the Precarious Sojourn.<ref name="ArcanePedestalQuest">2002/06 Castling - Arcane Pedestal Quest: Dialog</ref> Alatar explained that he was a cartographer for the Explorer Society, and that he had ended up at this location after spending some time in the Floating City.<ref name="ArcanePedestalQuest" /> After resurfacing, Alatar sent correspondence to his old friend Elysa.<ref name="ACrumpledLetter" /> She wrote back to him around Solclaim, 14 PY, however, her letter was intercepted and found its way into the possession of the Mite Warrior Queen.<ref name="ACrumpledLetter" />

Presumably also after resurfacing, Alatar helped Elysa and her allies identify the Tursh Totem, which Elysa's Royal Guard had found some years prior to Snowreap, 16 PY.<ref name="ReplicaOfATurshTotem">2005/01 Assault - Replica of a Tursh Totem</ref> After searching through a series of ancient Empyrean texts, Alatar discovered that Tursh was some sort of being worshiped as a god by a group of cannibalistic savages that once lived in the snow-covered peaks of Dereth. Tursh was purported to be the god of Hunger, though no other reference to Tursh's specific powers or exploits were uncovered in Alatar's research.<ref name="ReplicaOfATurshTotem" />

Relationships

Theories and Discoveries

Non-Canonical Information

According to old articles about the Undead, Alatar has a son named Ardivan Locke.<ref name="TheUndead">Date Unknown The Mysterious Portals Archive - The Undead</ref><ref name="ZoneBestiaryUndead">Date Unknown Asheron's Call Handbook - Bestiary: Undead</ref> Since this version of the backstory for Undead was retconned later, it is unknown if Ardivan still exists in canon.

The Official strategy guide for Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty lists stats for Alatar's Battle Axe, Alatar's Helm, and Alatar's Platemail Hauberk.<ref name="ACDMSybexGuide">2001/10 Dark Majesty - Asheron's Call Dark Majesty: Sybex Official Strategies and Secrets</ref> These items have never been discovered and are considered Unimplemented and Unfinished Content. The do provide some insight as to how the developers may have seen Alatar, though. Despite being very well educated and known for his exploration and research, he also would have been a capable fighter, able to wield heavy plate armor and fight with an axe.