Jump to content

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Rarr (talk | contribs) at 16:41, 21 July 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
File:Arcanumbox.jpg
Developer(s)Troika Games
Publisher(s)Sierra Entertainment
Platform(s)PC
ReleaseAugust 21, 2001
Genre(s)RPG
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is a computer role-playing game developed by Troika Games and published by Sierra Entertainment in 2001. The world of Arcanum is a mix of classic Tolkienesque fantasy and Victorian steampunk.

The game takes place on a remote fantasy continent known as Arcanum. Within this continent there is a huge clash between the ancient arcane arts of magic, and the powerful technological and scientific advances brought on by an Industrial Revolution. As such, the game environment can range from beautiful Elvish treetop villages to smog-enshrouded cities. As well as Elves, other fantasy races such as Dwarves, Gnomes, Ogres, Orcs and Halflings are prominent within the game. Thus, the player's character may travel from Dwarven mines to Orcish camps, and from Gnome-run cities to Halfling villages.

The politics of Arcanum are complicated, but easy enough to understand once explained. There is a great enmity between Elves and Dwarves, seeing as the former are naturally inclined towards a Magickal path, whilst the latter are the fore-runners in the Technological race (They however are mature enough to respect each other's differences, and indeed rely on each other to some extent. For example, the Elves acquire all their metal from the Dwarves). Scientists are not really welcome in Magickal societies such as Qintarra or Tulla, but they will be respected if they are righteous and good folk. And while a Mage would be allowed on the steam train, he would be forced to take the last caboose on the train so as to cause minimal interference with the locomotive. Both Orcs and Ogres are looked down upon as savage, feral peoples by the civilised folk of Arcanum, and most of the industry is run or owned by business-minded Gnomes. Humans are inter-breeding with anything they can, creating a range of hybrid races such as Half-Orcs, Half-Elves and Half-Ogres.

Template:Spoiler

The game begins with a cutscene of the IFS Zephyr, Arcanum's first airship, flying over the Stonewall mountain range on its maiden flight from Caladon to Tarant. The craft is essentially a cruise ship modified to hang from a lighter-than-air balloon and have its engines drive the triple-propeller assembly. Two small, stolen prototype heavier-than-air aircrafts flown by stupid ogres begin ineffective attack runs on the craft. However, in spite of their exceptionally-limited intelligence, the ogres manage to destroy the craft anyway by crashing into and badly damaging the left aileron, propeller and the balloon cavity itself. All three vessels perish over the range. The game starts in earnest with an odd dying gnome imploring that your character bring a valuable silver ring to "the Boy", right before he expires. A figure in a robe walks through the debris towards your direction...

Steamworks and Magick Obscura

File:Arcanum Mechanized Arachnid.png
An automaton

One of the more prominent aspects of the game is that it makes clear the distinction between technology and magick by having them interfere with each other. Within the game, the character is able to develop towards magic or technology. Attempting to utilize a device of opposite alignment from what the character is skilled with, results in a few possible scenarios. A mage attempting to utilize a technological device risks spontaneous failure, mechanical or otherwise, and causing damage to himself. A technologically-inclined person using a magickal device only risks either reduced functionality, or the item simply not working at all. The chances of these things happening are based on how far-aligned the person is, and the power (in the case of magickal items) or level of technological complexity (in the case of a machine) of the thing being used.

This hostile state of affairs is explained in which the way both systems function. Technology is based around understanding and working within natural laws, such as using knowledge of chemistry to produce gunpowder. Magick is centered around distorting and bending those laws to allow unnatural events to occur, such as generating a lightning bolt to strike a location when the two areas have nowhere near the potential difference necessary to do so. As such, a mage is a person who is adept at generating a distortion field, or an area within which physical principles can be violated. When a distortion field intersects a technological device, that device is liable to fail as the principles upon which it is based may cease to behave predictably. Similarly, technology defuses distortion fields, as the more physical or mathematical principles which come into play in a given instance there are, the more distortion is necessary to circumvent them. Therefore, a highly skilled technologist will be greatly hindered in any usage he attempts of magick or magickal items, because he will invariably expect them to work based on predictable, easily definable principles. Similarly, any powerful mage who attempts to wield complex technology is likely to have it backfire as the distortion field centered around him will interfere with the functioning of its many mechanisms in a statistical way.

Technology

Technological items represent natural laws in a condensed and refined form. The greater the complexity of a device (and hence the number of natural laws being made use of), the more it prevents magick from working properly as the distortion needed for the spell to work may be dampened or stopped entirely by the effort needed to overcome it in the immediate area. A highly-complex machine is capable of stopping a magickal item from functioning at all.

File:Arcanum Large Machined Platemail.png
Steampunk-style armour

There are eight scientific disciplines to pursue in Arcanum, with additional schematics either available for purchase or scattered throughout the world, waiting to be found. There are seven levels of competency within each discipline: Novice, Assistant, Associate, Technician, Engineer, Professor, Doctorate. Each new level achieved brings with it a schematic of higher complexity.

It should be noted that the steampunk technology in the game stretches the limits of believability for machinery of that posited era. These include weapons that fire spheres of lightning using tesla coils, mithril-based plasma throwers, man-portable flamethrowers, electromagnet-based guns, time bombs, plastic explosives with wired detonators, steam-driven powered armor and intelligent combat automatons. Ironically, this is because of magick; having had access to magick long before modern technology, the scope and variety of magickal utility became a source of inspiration for technologists of the modern era (i.e a wizard wielding a blast of lightning or fire would easily be a match for a man with a pistol, driving engineers to find a technical way to accomplish a similar feat, in order to maintain the superiority of their technology over magick).

Magick

Magickal items and persons generate a permanent field around themselves that can effect distortions just by their very presence. The greater the power of the item or person, the more distortion this field is capable of. Hence a very powerful mage walking near technological items would be able to cause problems just by his proximity to them; clockwork mechanisms operate abnormally and damage their gears, pressure levels inside hydraulics change abruptly and cause leakage, guns jam while feeding in the next round, and so on and so forth. There are sixteen possible schools of magick to learn from.

  • Conveyance: Deals with motion and transportation.
  • Divination: Deals with gathering knowledge through magickal means.
  • Air: Also called aethramancy. Deals with the manipulation of air and gases.
  • Earth: Also called terramancy. Deals with the manipulation of earth and solids.
  • Fire: Also called pyromancy. Deals with the manipulation of fire and superheated plasma.
  • Water: Also called hydromancy. Deals with the manipulation of water, ice and liquids.
  • Force: Deals with the manipulation of electricity, gravity and nuclear forces.
  • Mental: Deals with alteration of the mental states and wills of people and living things.
  • Meta: Deals with using magick to hold one's ground against hostile magick.
  • Morph: Deals with dramatically altering the physical properties of a target.
  • Nature: Deals with wildlife, flora and natural events and processes.
  • Necromantic Black: Deals with necromantic magicks that negatively affect living things.
  • Necromantic White: Deals with necromantic magicks that positively affect living things.
  • Phantasm: Deals with using magick to effect optical illusions.
  • Summoning: Deals with the summoning of otherworldly or supernatural creatures.
  • Temporal: Deals with relativity and the flow of time.

Character System

The game was developed by members of the team that produced Fallout and this is evident in Arcanum's character system. The player begins the game selecting a pre-made character or designing a custom PC by combining race, gender, and an optional background (equivalent to the Traits in Fallout.) These three characteristics will have a great effect on how the character is treated by others. For instance, an Orc will have difficulty trying to smooth-talk a guard, and an Elf will have much easier access to Elven secrets. Women will have trouble entering certain buildings deemed only for "gentlemen."

On the right, the player has selected an Ogre as his starting race. Virgil, a Panarii disciple, reacts indignantly to the possibility that this may be the "Living One" described in the prophecy. If the player had chosen a human or elf, Virgil would have reacted more reasonably.

Skills are handled on a point-based system, as opposed to the SPECIAL system's percentile scores. Regardless of points invested in a skill, the character must gain training from special trainer characters scattered throughout Arcanum to get the bonuses of a higher skill level. The highest level of mastery in a skill usually involves completing a quest from such a special trainer.

Characteristics can be modified during gameplay. The character can acquire a variety of blessings or curses, gain enchantments or scientific enhancements. Certain actions will give the player Reputations, which will earn positive or negative reactions from varying groups. Combat may also affect the player's attributes; characters with poor skill in melee may end up hurting themselves, costing them points from Beauty.

Storytelling Method

Unlike Fallout, Arcanum does not begin with a particular dire quest: the player is on Arcanum's first Zeppelin for a reason sometimes detailed in the background, when it is shot down by inexplicable flying machines. A dying gnome in the wreckage gives the character a silver ring and a cryptic message to deliver it to "the boy."

The game involves much more travel than Fallout's handful of destinations, usually returning to the same locations repeatedly as the plot twists and turns, with a much larger in-game time scale. There are sections of guaranteed combat, but it is possible to talk through large portions of the game's plot without fighting, and the player can use any mixture of magic, technology, or brute force en route. There are several opportunities for moral dilemmas and choices, which are recapped in a tour of the world after the game is completed, similar to Fallout.

Combat

The combat is based on Action Points, much like in Fallout, though it has the option of being run in real time. A character has a certain number of Action Points in a turn, and any given action requires the use of Action Points, though accessing the inventory does not require any Points. Points are based on Dexterity, though there are magical and technological ways to gain more Action Points in a turn.

The player is guaranteed a potential AI-controlled ally at the start of the game, and can gain a large group of followers if the character's Charisma is sufficiently high. As Arcanum does not have as much area-effect combat as Fallout, the allies don't make nuisances of themselves as often, though they often exhibit inappropriate timing in using magic spells or items.

While firearms are plentiful in the game, the situation is reversed from Fallout: the system seems to favor fast, light attacks from melee weapons over any other mode of attack. This has led to user-created patches to enhance the other weapons in the game.

The combat can become very violent as more powerful weapons are employed, resulting in graphic wounds, but it's a far cry from Fallout's melting skeletons, decapitated torsos and flaming corpses.

Locations

The Unified Kingdom

In spite of its name, the Unified Kingdom is ruled by council, not a monarch or anything approaching that capacity. This misnomer stems from the fact that Tarant used to be a kingdom, a situation influential persons rectified through assassination. Geographically, the UK claims the Morbihan Plains, which lies south of the Grey Mountains and east of the Stonewall mountain range, as its own. Membership in the UK brings rapid modernization, a link to the Tarant-based UK rail transport network and free trade with other members of the UK.

Tarant

The most advanced city in Arcanum, Tarant is the capital of the Unified Kingdom. It is ruled by the Tarant Industrial Council, its Vermillion Station is the interchange point for the UK rail network (and would have been the destination of the doomed IFS Zephyr), and is by far the largest population center in the world. It already has basic modern amenities such as electric lights, kept running by the largest electricity distribution grid in Arcanum.

Ashbury

A cozy seaside town (assuming one ignores the imposing castle inhabited by the undead in the distance), Ashbury is fairly well-to-do, housing a basic power grid and well-maintained buildings and public facilities. It has a fairly-large cemetery, and most of its economic activity is centered around, unsurprisingly, the port. It is the east-most stopover point available for the maritime trade routes. Ashbury was one of the first towns to be connected to the UK's rail network.

Kingdom of Cumbria

This pathetic shadow of its former self, Cumbria holds whatever meagre chunks of the landmass the UK has not claimed south and east of Stonewall. Due to King Praetor's desire to cling to old magickal ways, he is regarded as old and deluded by all those outside the kingdom. Most of Cumbria's infrastructure is laughable, not only due to its conservative stance on industry, but also due to a heavy plague which the kingdom suffered some years earlier.

Dernholm

The sad capital of the kingdom of Cumbria, Dernholm is a rotting mess. Crippled by a refusal to embrace the Industrial Revolution, Dernholm no longer holds any actual power on the world stage. Its provinces are all in the process of joining Tarant under the banner of the Unified Kingdom.

Black Root

The central stopover point on the maritime trade routes, Black Root prospers from being a compulsory visiting point for ships, but due to Cumbria's poor infrastructure, the local leadership is not progressing as fast as it hoped to be. It is in the process of joining with the UK. It is strategically located near the mouth of the main river outlet for its part of the world, and as such houses a sizeable agricultural sector as well.

Kingdom of Arland

A small thriving monarchy, the Kingdom of Arland is the only country powerful enough to rival the Unified Kingdom, but things as they are, they are seeking to join the UK, hoping to share in the greater wealth and prosperity offered to members.

Caladon

Caladon is quite similar to Tarant, with the exception that it's still a monarchy. It is geographically situated at the southernmost point of the main continent, and is quite close to Stonewall's southern end as well. It is the headquarters for the Panarii religion, and is said to house Nasrudin's corpse. Indeed, it could very well be said that the city was largely founded by the Panarii as their prime religious base, rather like modern-day Jerusalem.

The IFS Zephyr was built in Caladon by its local manufacturing industry, but funded by financial backers from Tarant.

Roseborough

The seaside town of Roseborough houses the best, largest and most well-equipped inn in all the land, as well as the mysterious Ring of Brodgar, a structure resembling Stonehenge. The locals know the Ring to be imbued with powerful magicks as technological items go haywire if they get within earshot of it. Aside from that little detail, they see it as a tourist attraction.

Glimmering Forest

The Glimmering Forest is the largest forest in Arcanum. The entire swathe of it also seems to be bathed in magick, as even the most aggressive of wildlife are passive unless attacked here. Within it lies the cities of Qintarra and T'sen-Ang.

Qintarra

The home city of all the Elves in Arcanum. Qintarra's main entrance is protected by powerful magick wards, and the city itself is set high upon massive trees. Qintarra is a beautiful city, and houses the Silver Lady, one of the oldest of the Elves at over 2000 years of age.

T'sen-Ang

Home of the Dark Elves. Structurally similar to Qintarra, albeit of darker tone and drearier design. T'sen-Ang somehow manages to look dark even when it's daytime, and a massive magick ward surrounding the city prevents any Mage from teleporting to within even walking distance of it.

Stonewall

A massive snowcapped mountain range that reaches the sea at one end and the Grey Mountains on the other, almost entirely blocking southeast Arcanum from the rest of the world. Stonewall is harsh terrain, with the few useable routes to get through it inhabited by aggressive wildlife. Some of the Dwarven clans make their homes in dug-out caverns in the range, and believe themselves blessed, for in the common Arcanum creation myth, their god Alberich is the land itself and that they are special for being the first and only ones to live exclusively within Him.

The Black Mountain Clan

The ancient site of the Black Mountain Clan was once home to a proud city of dwarves, who seem to have grown rich from trade with the elves of the neighbouring Glimmering Forest and the humans of the town of Stillwater. Arcanum's foremost industrialist, Gilbert Bates, took the idea of the steam engine from the Black Mountain Clan and heavily adapted its design for industrial use. Shortly after this however, the Black Mountain Clan disappeared entirely, and the matter of investigating their disappearance could be said to be one of the main plotlines of the game.

The Stonecutter Clan

One of the smallest dwarven settlements, the home of the Stonecutter Clan is also somewhat deserted. Its main point of interest is the fact that it is home to what remains of the laboratory of Kerghan the Terrible, the sole human mage on Nasrudin's elven council. Kerghan was renowned for his researches into dark magicke (indeed, it was he who discovered the magickal college of Dark Necromancy), and the laboratory shows signs of his sadistic endeavours. During the time of the game, a dwarvish expedition visited the Stonecutter Clan, only to accidentally re-animate a horde of undead and become trapped.

The Iron Clan

Being the home of the earliest and greatest dwarves, the Iron Clan is nothing more than a small, deserted hall and a throne room. Whilst most early dwarves engaged (like humans) in things such as hunting, farming and fishing, it was the dwarves of the Iron Clan who invented the first great marvels of dwarven technology, and provided the archetype for every dwarven clan since.

Grey Mountains

While the Grey Mountains are shorter in length than Stonewall, they are far larger and higher. This is reflected by the fact that there are absolutely no overland routes across it. It can be theorized that the Mountains are composed of far tougher materials than what makes up Stonewall, given the fact that only the master Dwarven clan, the Wheel, is based in it, aside from an insignificant small secondary cave the player may chance upon.

The Wheel Clan

Template:Spoiler

As the location of the dwarven royal family (the Thunderstones), the Wheel Clan is to dwarf society what Tarant is to the Unified Kingdom. King Loghaire Thunderstone currently lives in a self-imposed exile in the Dredge; a deep, perilous mine running beneath the clan, filled with monsters. His son, Prince Randver Thunderstone, has taken the title of King-in-Waiting and although he has the best intentions, his rule is regarded as shaky and tentative. The Wheel Clan is a highly technologically and scientifically adept city, even up to the point where the dwarves have been able to cultivate plants under the ground. Although a deeply isolationist settlement (it takes a fair amount of effort and ingenuity to find them), the folk of the Wheel Clan will always respect and admire those who help them in their endeavours.

Vendigroth Wastes

Once home to an incredibly advanced civilization, the Wastes are now for the most part an exceptionally-desolate wasteland. Overland access is only possible via a bridge built 2000 years ago by the Vendigrothians and is aptly titled the Gateway.

Tulla

The city of Tulla is entire walled-in, accessible only via a magickal gate. Founded several millennia ago by Pelojian, a noble mage who was saddened by the selfish and blatantly evil mindsets of most of his peers, Tulla is renowned throughout the world for being the premier institution for students of magick, and provider of exceedingly powerful or rare items of an arcane nature.

Vendigroth Ruins

File:Arcanum Vendigroth Submarine.png
The submarine

Protected underground, the ruins of Vendigroth are littered with items of a far-bygone age. Vendigroth gives the impression that it was well ahead of what the people in Arcanum currently have accomplished, to the extent of being able to give precise measurements with regards to the weather, and the construction of fantastic devices such as a primitive submarine (which unfortunately failed and ended up partially-buried on the Isle of Despair). An interesting note would be that, unlike most of the newer technological powers, they still retained the concept of religion, as the only altar in the world for Velorien (All-Father of the gods), resides within their city.

Races

Whilst Arcanum takes its races from the common pool of stock fantasy races used in most roleplaying games, there are a few differences worthy of note.

The Minute Races

Dwarves

The dwarves are typically Tolkienesque in their portrayal - i.e. they wear thick beards, are short and stocky, favour axes and hammers as their weapons of choice etc, however they also have an overwhelming interest in technology. The dwarves were the fore-runners in the technological race long before humanity had mastered industrial machinery (such as steam engines). Due to the destruction technology caused in the hands of humans, the dwarvish clans have become a largely reclusive race (although many city dwarves pride themselves on their cosmopolitan nature).

Gnomes

It is said that gnomes evolved from dwarves due to some supernatural agent intefering with natural selection, and so they are regarded as a slightly magickal race. However, this gives them no bias in favour of the arcane, and they can just as easily try their hand at technology. Gnomes tend to organise themselves into strong family units, often running large businesses or syndicates. They are the foremost capitalists of Arcanum, naturally good with money, banking and commerce by their very nature. Tarant, for example (which is the largest industrialised city in Arcanum) is run by a gnomish oligarchy. Gnomes usually have large, fleshy, crooked noses and whilst not fat, they tend to grow pot-bellied in their later years.

Halflings

The shortest of all the minute races, halflings are practically indistinguishable from the hobbits of Tolkien's work. They usually live in idyllic rural communities, working as farmers or landowners. They enjoy their meals, and are regarded as perhaps the most hospitable race on Arcanum. Like all races, halflings have recently seen more of their folk move into the larger cities such as Tarant and Caladon. This may be due to the fact that halflings make excellent thieves due to their small size, and the recent burgeoning in wealth attracts many of them to the riches which may be made. Elves are also unusually fond of Halflings, and this is reflected by the favorable comments they say to a Halfling character.

The Median Races

Humans

Humans are probably the most common of all Arcanum's races. Having capitalised on the recent Industrial Revolution, the human population has seen a boom, with them becoming the most commonplace folk seen around large cities and towns. They have no natural bias towards either magicke or technology, but are likely to turn to technology due to their short lifespans, and the correspondingly favourable quick returns technology provides on investments (relative to magick and other pre-industrial trades and skills, which takes a lifetime to study and perfect). It is said that all other median races (and perhaps even the gigantic) are offshoots of the human race, brought about by supernatural selection. This is why humans are able to inter-breed with peoples such as elves, orcs and ogres. This is cited in the manual as proof that humans are the stock race in which all of Arcanum's other median races originated from.

Elves

The elves are the foremost magickal race in Arcanum, the supernatural agent which split them off from humans several thousand years ago still present in their blood. Due to their magickal nature, they have a hard time becoming technologists and elvish characters take severe penalties when trying to heighten their tech skills (Indeed, it is easier for a dwarf to become a mage than it is for an elf to become a scientist). Like the dwarves, they have gradually receeded in the wake of the destruction of their forests at the hands of humanity. Their only large settlement now is Qintarra, home of their Mother-Queen the Silver Lady. Elves usually have good eyesight, tend to be slender in build, and are characteristically pointy-eared.

Half-elves

As their name would suggest, half-elves are the result of interbreeding between humans and elves. Whilst congress between a human and an elf will produce a half-elf, two half-elves can also have half-elvish children, proving that the blood links between humanity and elvenkin are far stronger than many care to admit. Although they are "half-bloods" and perhaps subject to some stigma, half-elves are lucky in the fact they lose both the greed of their human bloodline and the arrogance of their elvish blood, and are generally well-liked by everyone (although Elves can be distant to a Half-Elf, for example the guard at Qintarra). They can bear the varying traits of their parentage, such as ear shape, to any degree. Typically half-elves look like humans more then elves, though some of them have the delicate features and pointed ears of their elven heritage.

Orcs

The orcs of Arcanum differ from the orcs found in most fantasy games. Whilst widely regarded as feral and bestial, they are not inherently vicious or evil. For thousands of years they have lived as nomads, scouring the plains of Arcanum's west for their sustenance. But they too have also been touched by the recent Industrial Revolution, and now many orcs tend to live in city slums, working practically as slave labourers. Despite their highly magickal blood (which some assume is even more powerful than that of the elves), they are prevented from undertaking any severe interest in the arcane due to their naturally poor intelligence. Orcs usually have green/purple skin, and bear traits such as upturned snouts or porcine tusks.

Half-orcs

Unlike half-eves, half-orcs have borne the brunt of the recent spout of interbreeding. Although widely dispersed throughout civilisation, they are often treated no better than their orcish brethren as they are usually the product of a male orc raping an unwilling female human, and everyone keeps this stigma in mind. Hence they are seen as a sub-sentient race and natural criminals. Unfortunately, it is because of this stigma that half-orcs can often be found working as thugs or hitmen, the higher echelons of society denied to them. It is common knowledge that half-orcs are far more intelligent then full blooded orcs, although tragically it is believed that half-orcs are just savage and vicious as full orcs, which is certainly not the case.

The Gigantic Races

Ogres

Ogres are the largest of Arcanum's races, having diverged from human stock during the Epoch of Enchantment. It is widely believed that they are descended from the giants, who became extinct some several thousand years ago. They tend to live out in the wild in semi-tribal systems, often seen as no better than animals. Elves are naturally hateful towards ogres, seeing them as the embodiment of all characteristics they find repulsive (e.g. stupidity, brutishness, rage, ugliness, foulness, etc). Ironically, ogres are also natural enemies with the dwarves, as the two races often compete for territory in the mountains. Their intelligence is not usually high, and most of the time the greatest weapons they can fashion are crude clubs.

Half-ogres

Half-ogres are a highly mysterious race, and it is not known how their origins were brought about (for more information, see the "Half-ogre Island Conspiracy" entry below). They are often employed as bodyguards for wealthy gnomes and humans, and tend to do well in this profession - whilst they are excellent fighters, they are also exceedingly gentle with small people such as children and halflings. Half-ogres are also often employed as factory guards or doormen, due to their imposing nature. It is also because of this nature that they face little to no discrimination in society unlike the half-orcs; the average half-ogre could easily fight several men at once and win.

Trivia

Apart from all the influences in mechanics and design, there are some direct references to Fallout in the game.

  • A freak show in the city of Tarant displays a brahmin, one of the two-headed cows of the wasteland.
  • Quick action by the PC can earn a canine AI follower, Dog, a more powerful successor to Dogmeat.
  • An entire segment of the map, the aptly-named Wastes, is littered with ruins of an advanced civilization brought low by an enormous disaster.
  • A student of the city of Tulla was sent out to find a water gem and return with it. Compare with the original Fallout's story of the PC being sent out to look for a water chip.
  • The item creation system is based on a minor feature in Fallout 2. The Herbology category even has an item with ingredients very similar to that of Fallout 2's healing powder.
  • The Isle of Despair is referred to as the Black Isle by one character.

There are also references to real-life.

  • Edward Teach provides transportation on his ship. Edward Teach is the real name of Blackbeard, the infamous pirate.
  • Gilbert Bates is a parody of software entrepreneur Bill Gates. This is supported by the in-game chatter portraying the Bates Steam Engine Company as a conglomerate out to conquer as many fields as possible, a common notion shared in real-life with regards to Microsoft. Also, one might mention Bates' former companion Cedric Appleby.
  • Within the game, the first machine gun was invented by a man named Hieronymous Maxim. In real-life, the inventor was Hiram Stevens Maxim.
  • The dead body with the camera at the blimp crash site is a reference to Abraham Zapruder, the man who filmed the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
  • The siamese twins whose skulls play a part in an ingame quest are named after real people who were actually joined at the hip.
  • H.T. Parnells museum in Tarant city is a reference to P.T. Barnum who started off with a small freak show like Parnells.
  • The island of Catan on the map is a reference to a board game called Settlers of Catan.
  • The insulting gnome by the train station in Tarant says "Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time," which is a line from the Frenchman in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
  • Madame Toussaud who is the gypsy fortune teller in Tarant city is actually the founder of a wax museum in London.
  • The Whytechurch Murderer case in Caladon city is a reference to Jack the Ripper, the Whitechapel Murderer.
  • In the newspapers, there is a story about the man with a submersible named Hunley. CSS Hunley was the name of one of the first submarines, which also sank and killed its crew.
  • Doc Roberts in Shrouded Hills village was a famous sheriff in the Wild West. It is also a likely reference to the Beatles song "Doctor Robert," off of their Revolver album.
  • One quest involves retrieving the legendary Durin stone. In the Völuspá, Durin was the second mightiest of the dwarves. In addition, in Tolkien's stories of Middle-earth, there is an entire line of Dwarves named Durin, where Durin I the Deathless is the first and eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves.
  • An easter egg weapon called the Aerial Decapitator is a reference to an old Hong Kong kung-fu movie entitled Master of the Flying Guillotine
  • The name of the dwarven god Alberich came from a character of the Nibelungenlied.
  • The name Nasrudin was most likely derived from the Nasreddin annecdotes that are popular in Central Asian lore.
  • A guard outside Tarant's Boil -- a slum area controlled by warring gangs -- refers to it as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy." This is a famous quote by Obi-Wan Kenobi, of Star Wars fame.

The Half-ogre Island Conspiracy

Template:Spoiler

In Arcanum there is a conspiracy sub-plot that takes you to many places on the continent of, and to the so-called "Half-ogre Island", which lies just west of the island Thanatos. After all has been said and done, the player discovers that the gnomish Industrial Council of Tarant are in fact responsible for the breeding of the half-ogre race, using them as placable yet strong bodyguards. They also organised the assassination of the King of Tarant, and the displacement of the royal family (using the Queen as the "host" for the first successful half-ogre birth). Long before the period in the game, gnomes faced wide criticism for their supposedly "greedy" ways and were often outcasts of society, victims of crime and racial prejudice (this could very well be seen as a parallel to the anti-Semitism which was so prevalent in the 1800s).

The Council originally concocted a plan to create hybrid elf/orc hybrids, in an attempt to create all-powerful mages which they could control. This was before the Industrial Revolution, and as such they eventually saw magick as a waning power and instead decided that pure brute strength was all that was required (Plus, the experiments were often met with failure). This was not before a famous hybrid was produced however; a pair of conjoined twins. Before they could be terminated as per laboratory procedure, what may have been a sympathetic person on the Council itself managed to shelter them for years before they embarked on their adventures and became too famous to hunt down at that time. This takes place well before the events of the game and they are already deceased even before the game starts.

The conspiracy, if the player chooses to participate, eventually has the player running all around Arcanum trying to reach the someone who can uncover it all. When it is eventually solved, (with the skulls of the aformentioned twins in tow), the mysterious gentleman trying to uncover the conspiracy tells of bizarre breeding experiments on the Half-ogre Island. Apparently the new direction of half-ogre hybrids required human hosts, and the Council had no qualms about using unwitting females (often prostitutes) as said hosts. The first of such was the Queen of Tarant. The journal does mention that several of those involved began questioning this course of action and had to be eliminated. Soon after that, females related to persons who opposed the Council also began disappearing in short order. Stories were made up as to cover up their disappearance.

Upon visiting Half-Ogre Island itself, a fenced-off area containing human remains and a massive, grotesque laboratory are found, along with a journal transcribing the technical details of the facility. Apparently, they tried using runaways and homeless females at first, but the poor nutrition of these only permitted a single birth before they expired. The earlier-mentioned female relatives of the Council's political opponents proved more resilient because of their more well-kept lifestyle, especially coupled with new developments in surgical and medical technologies. Specifically, the half-ogre baby (which is far too large to safely deliver via natural means) is instead removed prematurely by caesarian section and artificially-sustained until it can fend for itself.

With the new techniques, each woman could be used for about three half-ogre babies before their bodies finally expired under the strain. These experiments continued until the Council decided that the population of half-ogres was sufficient and shut down the facilities.

Taking the journal back to the gentlemen trying to uncover the conspiracy results in his sudden disappearance, and an odd gnome in his place, explaining the whole story without so much as blinking. At this point, it seems the Council has initialized a protocol to rapidly wipe all details of the conspiracy from the face of Arcanum. A gnomish scientist who wants the skulls of the elf/orc twins will disappear after they've been given to him, and the only person who will take in the journal is part of the conspiracy as well. If the player tries to take it to the Tarantian newspaper office first, he will tell the player to take it to their Caladon branch. However, the Caladon branch staff will shortly disappear with the journal, and if the player enquires at with the Tarantian editor, he will deny all knowledge of the event.

At this point, all traces of the conspiracy have been quelled. Returning to the island yields that the entire laboratory has been cleared out, as have the human remains. It is not possible to progress any further at this point with regards to this evil conspiracy. The Mysterious Gnome does mention the existence of a second laboratory, but it does not exist within the game. Due to this kind of resolution, this quest has been referred to as the "Arcanum X-Files" by fans, a reference to how many of the stories in the X-Files series ended in a similar, unresolvable way.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arcanum:_Of_Steamworks_and_Magick_Obscura&oldid=65055417"