With the coming of the Gods back to Norrath, we at Everquest II Stratics were curious to get a little more insight into just what was going on, and what could we expect to see in the future. Therefore, we sat down with the Senior Producer of Everquest II at Sony Online Entertainment, Scott "Gallenite" Hartsman. Here's what he had to say:

Stratics: What made SOE decide to bring back the gods and goddesses of the traditional Everquest Live and implement them into the EverQuest II storyline even though they are in spirit?

Gallenite: It's not so much that one day we decided to bring them back, it's that this is the next chapter in their story. Their home planes and the gods' aspects themselves were defeated in EverQuest Planes of Power. This caused them to abandon the mortals for a time.

Now that its 502 years later, they're a little wiser, better protected, and starting to come back around to see how they can once again begin influencing the affairs of those who live on Norrath.

Stratics: How come the new playable race was chosen to be the Fae and not some other popular race, i.e. drakes or goblin?

Gallenite: We knew very early on what we wanted to do with the stories that take place in Faydwer. Specifically, that many events there would be influenced by the magic of the goddess Tunare and the forces of Growth.

In the histories, Kelethin was in fact destroyed. The Growth-touched Fae were the ideal race to help the elves rebuild. From there, made too much sense that playing as a Fae would be the next logical step.

Stratics: In the traditional Everquest Live, running through the city of Kelethin would sometimes have people running off the city floor and falling to their death. In Echoes of Faydwer, will this still be the case?

Gallenite: Absolutely. The Fae helped in the rebuilding of Kelethin. They have wings and can float down safely, so it never would have occurred to them to squander precious resources on something that they'd consider wasteful decoration.

As for the wood elves, they've always viewed nimbleness in the trees as a point of pride.

Stratics: Concerning Kelethin, will there be a specific faction based on Kelethin whereas Qeynos and Freeport are enemies? Will Kelethin be enemy to Freeport? What about Majdul?

Gallenite: Kelethin is a Good aligned city, as is Qeynos. As such, it is hostile to Freeport. Kelethin's views on what should occur in the world are very much opposed to what a tyrant such as Lucan would be striving for. Although, it is possible for Good aligned citizens (or those who betray Freeport) to become residents of Kelethin.

Maj'dul remains neutral to citizens of Kelethin, the same as they are with any other city.

Stratics: Concerning the player cloaks, will players be able to customize the cloaks for guild identity as it has been offered in other games?

Gallenite: Once your guild customizes a cloak, all members can display your colors. Further, that customization cannot be used by anyone else on your server.

Stratics: As in Everquest Live, are factions of deity going to be used in EoF? For example: in EQLive, players with Innoruuk deity would still be killed in the midst of Innoruuk himself. Will this be the case in EQII or will the spirits of the gods and goddesses recognize their followers?

Gallenite: The deities themselves are not available to be defeated. However, certain aspects, manifestations, and representatives of the returning deities are rumored to be found.

These representatives will most certainly recognize and act unkindly upon members of their own religion committing acts of apostasy.

We won't be preventing this kind of gameplay, but rather letting it play out in a way that fits well with the fiction of the world and the context of the actions a given character takes.

Stratics: Are there any updates concerning the rumored "second earring slot" being provided in this expansion?

Gallenite: It's no rumor - Echoes of Faydwer includes the cloak/cape slot, and all players regardless of whether they purchase Echoes gain a second earring slot.

Stratics: And last but not least... Will Fironia Vie return to her throne of Felwithe?

Gallenite: I suspect that Firiona Vie would likely be very unhappy with what's happened to Felwithe in the time she's been gone.

Tales are told of the Age of Turmoil and the War of the Fay, wherein Felwithe was lost to the dark elves, only to be retaken in a grand battle that extended clear to the Combine Spires in the Faydark. Following this bittersweet victory, the grand reconstruction began.

Later, during the Age of War, Queen Lenya Thex began having visions of a future wherein the city would be lost to dark invaders once more. The mysterious High Council gained in power and visibility, and less and less was heard of Queen Lenya. Thus began Felwithe's journey down the long road to becoming the xenophobic shadows of their former good and welcoming selves.

Later yet came the Age of Cataclysms, wherein paralyzing fear of any corruption of the purest of the elves took hold of the populace, and the High Elves cut off all contact with the outside world. What role, exactly, that the Queen, the Council, or perhaps some outside force played in all of this remains a mystery.

Now, in the Age of Destiny, Felwithe is still completely isolated and welcomes no intrusion. For even those who share the same blood are perceived to have been unforgivably tainted... diseased, both physically and spiritually, by merit of their contact with the outside world.

The story of how and why this all happened, and what comes next, are told in Echoes of Faydwer.

Thank you, Gallenite, for taking time to give us further detail and lore into Echoes of Faydwer, and we look forward to what you guys have created for us in this latest expansion!