New Arcanum. Old engine.

I'm saying forced ENDING of corse the player can fade away he probably wants time alone and no publicity and the few people he told his story to don't have a reason to explain it in detail. if they do then text can go like this

someone: [tells the story of Arcanum 1] *player nods*

no need to know race or background.

like I said forced ENDING the things that don't fade away after 100 years. whether Caladon and Tarant is united, if Blackroot is Tarant or Derholm, whether Derholm allows talk of tech, Iron Clan, if there was a Dwarf war and if Vendigroth was brought back the maker of Arcanum 2 would have that city to put in new storyline even if it is like Tulla just visited late game. THE ENDINGS as far as I know no ENDING states what the player did after the game but they do have allot of things that effect the planet.

after 100 years player may be dead and at least one of the endings tells you what happens to Nasrudin with that ending he can fade away also. other than talk of the age of legends (old Elves would probably tell the story). but not talk of him during Arcanum 1.

 

about plot maybe a New-Vendigroth Technoligest cloned Bellerogrim and you have to hunt down it's clones and kill them or a mage cult already killed them or just the last 1 and all of the cult did the dragon blood thing and you have to then hunt them down. maybe add a Tech God or even a few maybe 1 for each discipline. if not Gods than at least professors in New-Vendigroth.

New-Vendigroth could be where Techies go when they become very high tech like how very high mages find there way to Tulla. that could explain why other parts of Arcanum are not as advanced in tech after 100 years or a Dwarf conspiricy to kidnap all new tech makers and hold them captive in New-Vendigroth.

 

DF - Sounds complicated, but that would definitely be fun shit to play.

If you want to parallel Arcanum and Earth (read: Europe), I see no reason why even events that seem important at the time of Arcanum 1 could fade into the background within 20 years, nevermind 100. The transition of Europe in the late modern era shows how important states, even vast empires, can be dissolved, and how power and alliances can shift quickly. Tarant and Caladon may well have become allies, and Caladon joined the Unified Kingdom, but who knows, it could have left afterwards. Keep in mind that it's Tarant's biggest rival, and a balance of power would cause them to continually come into conflict with one another. You don't think the whole civilized world would be at peace under one alliance, would you? And any upstart or rebellious state would easily be crushed by an allied Tarant and Caladon, in virtually any circumstances. It would be boring for them to stay together. Of course, Arcanum isn't Earth.

I think Vendigroth would have to come back, considering the circumstances of the end of the game. The end slide that refers to it might have to be toned down - it could be taken to mean further in the future, I suppose. Vendigroth's reemergence would also mean a big shift in power and a focus away from the continent's center.

 

My opinion on the matter of Vendigroth is that it might have come back, but that it's hidden. Even more hidden than Tulla. The world of Arcanum simply isn't ready for an explosion of technology such as that.

 

well, how high-tech is it? it seems like it's Tarant from an earlier era. Some of the stuff is more advanced, some possibly less so. I mean, the slide is pretty futuristic, but the actual place is at least within the proper realm. Anyway, Vendigroth emerged in the Age of Legends, right? and I can't remember if it's the same era of technology that Kerghan found, but I believe it wasn't.

I think Vendigroth might have relied for inspiration to some extent on the magic that was already present. I mean, the stuff from that day is considered way more powerful than the present. Maybe with magic having declined, Vendigroth's power and inspiration may have declined somewhat as well. Or, maybe some of its achievements have been lost and have to be rediscovered, so it isn't exactly a superpower or anything. This might be a somewhat weak argument, but it's just one of many possible explanations that might help to reevaluate the place of Vendigroth for the player.

I mean really, Arronax restores it, but he does so with magic, so there is some limitation to what it becomes in the aftermath of the events of Arcanum. Surely, Arronax could restore its physical dimensions and resurrect some of its people, but by no means could he rebuild its machines or restore its technological prowess all by himself, although he could aid its newly resurrected technologists by giving them what they need to restore their society. So, it could begin to emerge quickly, but it isn't exactly as it was before its destruction. Some parts might be better, some might need rediscovery over a long period.

You raise an interesting point, though. How well-known is the story of Arronax, Nasrudin, the PC and the BMC after the Void? I guess that would depend. Maybe Arronax is well-known, but his actions in the Vendigroth Wastes are not. Tulla is not well-known, and most people have no reason to go to the Vendigroth Wastes. The Tullan Mages would certainly know, but they know plenty of things they don't tell people. I would expect that the people of Vendigroth, being scientifically minded, would want to start exploring the world as soon as their society was reborn, but perhaps they would do so in an incognito fashion?

Also, the impact of the BMC on technology couldn't be ignored. There might be a question of how building the gate affected them psychologically, but if I remember right, they decided that they should have shared their technology more. The Wheel Clan might be as secretive as ever, but surely there are at least 2 Dwarven Clans that wish to be involved in more broader society.

 

I'm still voting someone does a "Downfall of Vendigroth" style campain. Maybe have the hero trying to save Vendigroth from it's total collapse, and be something of an outsider due to the belief that it's going to fail, or some such? Of course, they'd fail in the end, but wouldn't that make the ending all the better? ^_^

 

or a Downfall of Vendigroth not related to Arronax. maybe before that and the hero does win.

or the Player plays as a secret follower of Arronax and is the reason the finished Device didn't get used on him in time (as the players win condition).

or just play normal player choses sides of Arronax or Nasrudin and play till Arronax or Nasrudin gets banished. where Arcanum 1 is the forced ending of Arronax getting banished. (this option you play before Downfall of Vendigroth ether trying to prevent it or trying to help cause it and keep going after.) one of the end credits could be if Vendigroth got destroyed was untouched or got something between.

events that happen no matter what the player does is not in the spirit of Arcanum. Arcanum is all about changing the outcome for better or for worse. got to remember this when someone makes a #2 or prequel.

 

those are some pretty good ideas for a prequel. I have to say, if I had about a million hours of free time to spend on it, I'd probably make that right there. I like the idea of Vendigroth being the climax of the prequel, with Brodgar and the banishment being the finale. It would be nice to play through the rebellion of Lorek the Abjurer as well.

 

Lorek the Abjurer? You've just referenced history even I don't know... explain, dear boy?

 

You learn about him when speaking to Randver Thunder Stone. It's sort of a tangent, but it's part of the "stone and shape" discussion to persuade his father to return to the throne. It's one of the only discussions of dwarven history and politics, the other being the Iron Clan.

 

He's a dwarf who once held the Bangellian Scourge and started a bloody war against pretty much everyone else.

 

Oh! Now I remember him. Thanks Wolfsbane.

 

No prob, mate.