Darkmeyer is the capital of the Sanguinesti region and is inhabited by vampyres. Some humans, many of them prisoners, can also be found there. Darkmeyer and Meiyerditch appear to be twin cities, with Darkmeyer making up the northern half of the region and Meiyerditch the southern half. Darkmeyer is home to an ancient and powerful tree, the Blisterwood Tree, which is capable of doing great harm to vampyres. The tree is found on the upper tier of Darkmeyer in the arboretum building, where the vampyres have made many unsuccessful attempts to kill the tree. Partial completion of the quest The Branches of Darkmeyer is required to access the city.
History[]
The city was founded and ruled by Lowerniel Drakan. At some point Drakan departed, leaving the ruling of Darkmeyer and the Sanguinesti region to his siblings, Vanescula and Ranis Drakan. Near the end of the Fifth Age a member of The Myreque, a human resistance group operating in Meiyerditch and nearby Burgh de Rott, infiltrated Darkmeyer using a vampyric outfit as a disguise, with the assistance and knowledge of Vanescula Drakan. This human was blamed for the assassination of Ranis, as well as that of the powerful and high-ranking human-born vyre Vanstrom Klause.
In the wake of these attacks, Drakan returned to Darkmeyer, calling a gathering of true-born nobles atop of Castle Drakan. During this gathering he addressed Vanescula and one of her human-born personal guards, questioning their opinions of recent events and the current state of vyre society. Drakan revealed that he knew of Vanescula's plan to overthrow him, and that several of her retinue were disguised humans bristling with concealed blisterwood weaponry. After a brief scuffle, the entire party is imprisoned in the basement of Castle Drakan.
After escaping Drakan's dungeon and finding themselves in the Vampyrium version of Castle Drakan, the Myreque and Vanescula succeeded in defeating Drakan for good. Vanescula took over the ruling of Darkmeyer at this point, being a more loved and respected ruler than Lowerniel Drakan had been, especially among the human-born vyres he had despised. She opened the Vampyrium castle's blood stores to the nobles, allowing them to feed better, and she also brought discipline to the Vyrewatch.
Vanescula also began to increase the number of vyres within the city, using the Haemalchemy learned from Safalaan Hallow to vampyrise humans, and also to infuse them with the protection of Safalaan's Icyenic heritage, allowing the vyres to cross the River Salve. Vanescula had planned to expand out of Darkmeyer and into Misthalin. Her plan was to abandon the ghetto farming of the Sanguinesti region and have vyres live alongside humans and feed on free-range blood, as they had done under Zaros. After Vanescula's defeat, with the Salve's barrier strengthened to return human-born vyres back into humans, Vanescula agrees to try another way. She agrees to co-rule with Efaritay, former queen of Hallowvale, and Safalaan Hallow, with the aim of getting vyres and humans to peacefully co-exist within Darkmeyer and Meiyerditch.
The city itself is divided into three parts:
- The lower tier is in the south-east. The houses are in a rather bad state and the only things here are the Vyrewatch who patrol the tier and the Vampyre juvinates who live there. The Juvinates are not allowed to enter the other tiers. There are also some Canifis settlers.
- The middle tier is in the north. Here, the more respected Vyrewatch live and a Darkmeyer trader from Canifis, who runs the Trader's Goods store. There is also a small prison, which houses Maria Gadderanks. This part of the city also has a furnace next to an anvil, a pottery oven with a potter's wheel, a stove and a water source. The tier also contains one musician, the ghost of Boris Barrington.
- The upper tier, in the south-west, is the largest part of the city. High ranking vampyres, the Vyrelords and Vyreladies, live here. Ranis and Vanescula Drakan usually patrol here. In the middle of this tier is the arboretum with the Blisterwood Tree. To the west are the gates of Castle Drakan, which can only be accessed by players during The Lord of Vampyrium and during and after River of Blood. There is a bank containing a bank chest, a vampyric altar that resembles a gargoyle and some other notable features, such as a larger prison with several Vyrewatch guards overseeing Captured Meiyerditch citizens.
The city itself is comparable to cities such as Falador in terms of size. Like many of Gielinor's cities, it is built in a mostly uniform style, with many of its buildings being built of grey stone, with red banners and gothic motifs common in their designs. It has within its walls one of Morytania's two altars, as well as a bank and furnace.
The area now occupied by Darkmeyer as of the 31 August update that released The Branches of Darkmeyer was once occupied by a small number of half-timber buildings with Mansard roofs, Gothic lancet windows and other unique features. These buildings were very similar to the buildings located in Meiyerditch, and it seems that they were likely intended to be the better preserved examples that were inhabited by vampyres, as an early and unfinished version of Darkmeyer. These buildings and the area they were located in were extensively reworked and replaced in the update, and no longer exist.
Travel[]
Darkmeyer is hard to reach and one is required to wear the full Darkmeyer disguise to not be caught and thrown out, or the House Drakan outfit, acquired part way through The Lord of Vampyrium. It can be entered by climbing into a hole in the very north-east of Meiyerditch, but can also be teleported to using Drakan's medallion, which becomes usable after Vanescula Drakan enchants it during The Branches of Darkmeyer. The teleport will put one in the Arboretum.
Inhabitants[]
All inhabitants can be attacked unless indicated otherwise.
Vampyre:
- Vampyre juvinates (levels 84-86) - lower tier.
- Vyrewatch (level 86) - lower tier.
- Vyrewatch (level 91) - middle tier.
- Vyrewatch guards (level 92) - middle and upper tiers. The guards in the upper tier cannot be attacked.
- Vyrelord (level 98) - upper tier.
- Vyrelady (level 98) - upper tier.
- Vanstrom Klause (level 98) - upper tier, fought during The Branches of Darkmeyer.
- Ranis Drakan - upper tier, only during the quest.
- Vanescula Drakan - throughout the tiers during the quest; upper tier after the quest. Not attackable.
Other:
- Canifis settlers - lower tier; not attackable.
- Bloodveld younglings - lower and middle tiers; used to gain status.
- Darkmeyer trader - middle tier; not attackable. Runs the Trader's Goods store.
- Maria Gadderanks - middle tier; not attackable.
- The musician ghost of Boris Barrington - middle tier; not attackable.
- Captured Meiyerditch citizens (level 1) - upper tier prison
- Blood tithers - upper tier; not attackable.
- Harold - (level 98) - upper tier, fought during The Branches of Darkmeyer.
Music unlocked[]
- Darkmeyer - Upon entering Darkmeyer.
- Arboretum - Upon entering the arboretum.
- Upir Likhyi - Upon entering the large chamber in Vanstrom's house.
Release history[]
Before the release of the Branches of Darkmeyer, the city was an inaccessible and mostly empty area. Near Castle Drakan stood a couple of houses, while the east was just a blank area
Trivia[]
- Walking from Port Tyras to Castle Drakan in Darkmeyer without teleportation unlocks the achievement Great Gielinor Run.