A riveting discussion of Vendigroth

Some thoughts and questions about Vendigroth...

Vendigroth is a integral part of Arcanum's plot and history - but its existance creates more questions than answers. So in the following I will pose these questions to you:

1. Bates takes quite a bit of credit in terms of bringing what could be considered an industrial revolution to Arcanum. Given Vendigroth's technological superiority to even the most modern day devices in Arcanum I suppose this would be considered Arcanum's second industrial revolution? How was so much technological knowledge lost to the world.

2. What is with the Arachnix's attraction to Vendigroth? They seem a reasonably intelligent race (enough so that they are capable of casting spells and wielding bows and arrows). What would draw them there?

3. What is the native race of Vendigroth? Is it human beings? One of the closing pictures shows the resurrection of Vendigroth by Arronax, but it is not in a resolution where one can really tell who is driving the automobile. I personally think it is a human.

4. Why are there no bodies in any of the ruins? This is not a situation a kin to the black rock mountains where they were simply all exiled... Raw destruction was wrought upon Vendigroth. There seems to be no signs of bones, ashes, or even clothing.

5. Who was Droch?

6. How is it possible that Vendigroth's location was lost to the world? Vendigroth as it claims in one of its news papers was a sovereign nation, but that does not imply that it did not ever want to trade or have diplomatic relations with other nations. Another theory would hold that after Vendigroth fell word of its demise would spread and all manner of looters and pillagers would want access to her treasures - not to mention technologists!

7. How is it that the automatons are still active and running their routines after all this time?

 

Please move this thread to the Arcanum Discussion.

 

1: Vendigroth was destroyed over a thousand years ago, when the world was in the Arcanum version of the Dark Ages. You could compare it a little to the fall of the Roman Empire, though Vendigroth was more isolated, being located quite far from the nearest large settlement we know of. Bates' "invention" of the steam engine could be considered the second industrial revolution, though it isn't quite comparable to the real version.

2: As the Arachnix' method of communication differs quite a bit from the languages spoken by the majority of Arcanum's intelligent races, it is quite difficult to determine anything about their culture, motives or such. This difficulty is ramped up even more by their hostile attitude and their apparent lack of settlements and/or written sources. My best bet would be that they are a surviving race of biologic weapons from some ancient war, just as the survivor of the Black Legion we can meet in the boil.

3: Yes, humans were the native populus of Vendigroth, which you can tell by looking at big N's in-dialogue movie.

4: A better question would be how some degradable materials (such as newspapers and gloves) are still remaining and useable after a thousand years. Enough time for even skeletons to turn into dust.

5: Probably a Vendigrothian gunsmith, who might have been a peer of one "Bronwyck".

6: I believe that humans around that time (except, of course, in Vendigroth) weren't as advanced as they are in the present, so maybe they just didn't find it worth trying to explore the entire sub-continent of the Wastes. The elves were probably happy to forget all about the technological city, the dwarves didn't think of leaving their homes in the mountains, and similar circumstances were probably responsible for the halflings' and gnomes' indifference. Orcs and ogres wouldn't even have considered raiding ruins of a different species so far away from their clans' homes. By the time the races would have found it interesting, nobody remembered anything about the place.

7: A lot of devices in Arcanum seem to work on infinite power supplies. Maybe they were constructed in a way that their own movement supplies enough kinetic energy to keep them running. Or it might be Velorien's fault.

 

My sincere apologies for the breach of posting etiquette, I assumed that since the answers I sought would be for role playing value this would be the most appropriate place to ask them. *flees to the appropriate forum*

and thank you for the insight TimothyXL! Well phrased and concise, much appreciated!

 

My theory is that they are the result of supernatural evolution caused by a powerful magickal discharge. They might have been created during some experiments in or near Tulla or, even better, they might be what's left of the original inhabitants of Vendigroth. Imagine Fallout, replace nuclear bombs with Arronax's incredibly powerful magicks and feral ghouls with Arachnixs.

I like to imagine it so, makes Vendigroth an even darker and more disturbing place to roam. Plus, it adds a new and surprisingly accurate meaning to Pelojian's words:

 

And the dwarves let the original steam engine go unused because "any work not done with your hands is no such thing."

And then they get pissed when someone takes credit for that thing they considered to be against their philosophy.

 

The dwarves build the steam engine simply because they could, nothing wrong with that. They have the right to create something, leave it to rust in a corner and not want to ever use it and be angry when someone puts it to use without their permission and and takes all the credit for its creation.

 

oh wow this is an epic response sir, I like it! kills to stones with one bird...
where the inhabitants of Vendigroth went and why the arachnix are so attracted to Vendigroth. It would also explain why they can't get into the lower levels as the automatons no longer recognize them as their former masters... This is an interesting twist >_>