Locations of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
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This is a basic overview of the locations of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (aka Arcanum), a 2001 computer role-playing game.
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[edit] The Unified Kingdom
Despite its being called a kingdom, the Unified Kingdom is ruled by a council instead of a monarch, a misnomer attributable to Tarant’s old kingdom status. The UK lays claim to the Morbihan Plains, due south of the Grey Mountains and east of Stonewall Range. Membership in the UK brings rapid industrialisation, coverage by the Tarant-based UK rail transport network and free trade with other Kingdom members.
[edit] Tarant
The most advanced city of Arcanum, Tarant is the capital of the UK. Ruled by the Tarant Industrial Council, its Vermillion Station is the interchange point for the UK rail network, and is the world's largest population centre. Tarant features basic modern amenities such as electric lighting, kept running by the largest power grid in Arcanum.
[edit] Ashbury
A homely seaside town (provided one ignores the nearby castle of the undead), Ashbury is fairly well-to-do, hosting a basic power grid and well-maintained buildings and public facilities. Economic activity is unsurprisingly centered on its port, which is the easternmost stop-over point on the maritime trade routes. The town was one of the first population centres to be linked with the UK rail network.
[edit] Kingdom of Cumbria
A decrepit husk of its former self, Cumbria retains whatever meagre districts of the south-eastern mainland not already claimed by the UK. Due to King Praetor's conservatism over issues of technological reform, he is regarded as old and deluded by those outside the ailing kingdom. Most of Cumbria's infrastructure has been long neglected, due not only to its industrial policy, but also a plague it suffered some years earlier.
[edit] Dernholm
The Cumbrian capital, Dernholm is crippled by a refusal to embrace industrialisation and as such no longer holds any power on the world stage. Its provinces are all attempting to leave and join with Tarant under the UK banner.
[edit] Black Root
The central stopover point of the maritime trade routes, Black Root prospers from being a compulsory stop for ships, but due to Cumbria's poor infrastructure, local leadership is not to standard. A de facto Cumbrian entity, the mayor is conflicted over whether to pay Cumbrian taxes or UK taxes, given that the UK is in a position to offer it practicable military defence. Black Root is situated near a river delta, and maintains a robust agricultural sector.
[edit] Kingdom of Arland
A small but thriving monarchy west of the Stonewall range, the Kingdom of Arland is the only realistic rival to the UK, but nevertheless applying for UK membership, seeking the increased wealth and prosperity it brings.
[edit] Caladon
Caladon is similar to Tarant, with the exception that it's still a monarchy. Situated at the mainland's southernmost point near Stonewall's southern terminus, Caladon is the headquarters of the Panarii religion, and said to house Nasrudin's corpse. It could well be said that the city was founded by the Panarii as their prime religious centre, akin to real-world Jerusalem.
The IFS Zephyr was built in Caladon, funded by Tarantian investors.
[edit] Roseborough
The seaside town of Roseborough houses the best, largest and most well-equipped inn in all Arcanum, 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 malfunction if they're brought too close; otherwise the Ring is considered a tourist attraction.
[edit] Glimmering Forest
The Glimmering Forest is the largest forest in Arcanum. It also seems to be imbued with magickal forces, as even the most aggressive wildlife is passive unless attacked. Within it lies the cities of Qintarra and T'sen-Ang.
[edit] Qintarra
Arcanum's Elven centre, Qintarra's main entrance is protected by magickal wards, and the city itself is built high upon the forest canopy. In the city resides the Silver Lady, one of the oldest Elves at over 2000 years.
[edit] T'sen-Ang
Home of the Dark Elves, T'sen-Ang is structurally similar to Qintarra, albeit of an ominous character and darker aesthetic. The camp somehow manages to look dark even during the day, and a magickal ward prevents mages from teleporting to within even walking distance of it.
[edit] Stonewall Range
A snow-capped mountain range that spans from the sea at its southern terminus to the Grey Mountains at the northern, Stonewall Range, as per the name, isolates south-east Arcanum from the rest of the world. Stonewall's topography is harsh, with the few traversable routes inhabited by aggressive wildlife. Some of the dwarven clans have made homes in the caverns along the range, and believe themselves blessed, for in the common Arcanum creation myth, their god Alberich is the land itself, and they are special for being the first and only people to live exclusively within Him.
[edit] Shrouded Hills
Lying before the western face at the southern end of the range, Shrouded Hills is a rural town with a largely agrarian work base. It is the nearest town to the crash site of the IFS Zephyr.
[edit] The Dwarven Clans
[edit] Black Mountain
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 neighbouring Glimmering Forest and the humans of Stillwater. Arcanum's most prominent industrialist, Gilbert Bates, took the idea of the steam engine from the Black Mountain Clan and adapted its design for industrial utilities. However, shortly after this, the Black Mountain Clan disappeared entirely, the issue of their disappearance being part of main quest of Arcanum.
[edit] Stonecutter
One of the smallest dwarven settlements, the site of this clan is also somewhat deserted. The Clan is home to the remains of a laboratory belonging to Kerghan the Terrible – the sole human mage on Nasrudin's elven council. Kerghan was renowned for his research into dark magick (in fact he founded Dark Necromancy), and his laboratory is not without remaining evidence of sadistic projects. Upon its discovery, a visiting dwarf studied his research notes and attempted to apply them in a scientific manner. He ended up accidentally reanimating a horde of the undead.
[edit] Iron
Home to the earliest and greatest of the dwarves, the Iron Clan is now nothing more than a small, deserted hall and a throne room. Whilst most early dwarves focussed, like humanity, on hunting, farming and fishing, it was the dwarves of the Iron Clan who invented the first great marvels of dwarven technology.
[edit] Grey Mountains
While the Grey Mountains haven't the breadth of Stonewall Range, they are absolutely impassable with no overland routes available. It is home to one dwarven clan, the Wheel.
[edit] Stillwater
Stillwater is a provincial pocket between the junction of Stonewall, the Grey Mountains and the tributaries of Hadrian River. Its most prized export is a high-quality sword, known titularly as the Stillwater Blade; the town is also home to a local legend, the Stillwater Giant.
[edit] The Wheel Clan
As the location of the dwarven royal family (the Thunderstones), the Wheel Clan is to Dwarven society what Tarant is to the Unified Kingdom. King Loghaire Thunderstone currently lives in self-imposed exile in the Dredge – a deep, perilous mine running beneath the site. His son, Prince Randver Thunderstone, has assumed the title of King-in-waiting, and despite a well-meaning character, his rule is regarded as shaky and indecisive. The Wheel Clan is technologically and scientifically advanced, to the extent where the dwarves are able to cultivate crops underground. Although a deeply isolationist settlement (it takes a fair amount of effort and ingenuity on the player's behalf to find it), Wheel Clansmen respect and admire those who aid in their endeavours.
[edit] Vendigroth Wastes
The Wastes is the name given to the site remains of an advanced civilisation, now extinct, known as the Vendigroth. Now a desolate wasteland, overland access to the Vendigroth Wastes is only possible via a bridge built two millennia ago, called the "Gateway".
[edit] Vendigroth Ruins
Protected underground, the ruins of Vendigroth are littered with the miscellany of a bygone era. Vendigroth appears to have been more modernised at the point of its demise than the current Arcanum status quo, to the extent of having mastered meteorology, for instance. Unlike most of the modern-day technological powers, Vendigroth retained religion, as the only altar in the world for Velorien (All-Father of the gods), resides within the city.
[edit] Tulla
Concealed from view, Tulla is the premier institution of the magickal colleges, accessible only via a special gate. Founded several millennia ago by Pelojian—a noble mage disappointed by the short-sighted corruption of his peers—Tulla is renowned throughout the world for housing exceedingly powerful arcane artifacts.
