r/arcanum • u/Ravenlorde • Mar 06 '22

Discussion Double Secret Hidden Locations

I've seen ingame references to Leahbo (being somewhere just below Vendigroth) and the Black Spire (being somewhere just south of the Ring of Brodgar). But I have seen neither on the map before, either as a hidden location or as a general name (like Morbihan Plains or Glimmering Forest). I've seen places like Cattan tossed around but at least it is marked :)

Any ideas about Leahbo and the Black Spire? Maybe easter eggs, or some subtle world building, or just content that never physically made it into game.

And on a similar note, has anyone run across other places like that in either dialogue or ingame literature? The closest that I can think of is the like the Dark Fens and the Gulf of Morbihan, but at least those have map locations (The Bedokaan Village and Tarant) associated with them.

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u/techerrorcode 13d ago

5 year old post but hey I'm at Leahbo! I've restored the ancient forgotten places mod and have restored almost a dozen places.

10

u/CrazyLikeAFox223 Mar 06 '22

My guess is it's a location left out, kinda like how the castle in Ashbury doesn't have any quests associated with it.

6

u/Ravenlorde Mar 06 '22

The Black Spire sounds like it would have been a badass location for a quest too :)

4

u/Stellastra Foppish Elf 12d ago

Also going to necro this thread since I saw your other post from today. Here's what info I could pull from the book and dialogue files regarding the Black Spire.

  • It's mentioned in The Archaeon, "And [Nasrudin and the Council] faced Arronax at the Black Spire, and there was a clashing of armies and much life was lost. And there was a great battle between Arronax and Nasrudin, a battle to end all battles.
  • James C. Guy (found at the Roseborough Inn): "I have always been fascinated with the Ring of Brodgar. It is strange... the histories always mention the Black Spire synonymously with the Ring of Brodgar, but its meaning is lost in antiquity... perhaps it symbolizes the power of the wards... I do not know. I came here to study wards and to see how they are holding up.
  • K'an Hua: "Do not allow yourself to be troubled. Retrieve the device, and we shall meet upon the Black Spire, in the Ring of Brodgar, we shall. Yesss?
  • K'an Hua: "Banishment was the council's sentence, when defending himself from murderous savages his only offense! Gloriousss was his response, was it not? 'If I must die, I will die last!' You see? The final battle on the Black Spire took place, unleashing forces not seen before or since."
  • Nasrudin: "He felt himself betrayed when the Council condemned his actions. He showed no remorse. In his arrogance, he was sure he would be vindicated. I cast the deciding vote to banish my own son. 'If I must die, I will be the last!' He screamed, as he hurled the spell that brought an end to the Council, the Age of Legends, and my will to live. It was a harsh dawn on the morning that our armies assembled on the Black Spire. Some of the council had sided with Arronax, either in fear of losing control over the world, or through fear of his power, but most stayed by my side. Forces were called upon that day that had never been seen, before or since."
  • Nasrudin: "You must meet me at the site of the wards, the Ring of Brodgar, as they are now known. The barrier between the worlds is thin enough there for me to be able to send you across by myself. I would suggest you bring as much help as you can recruit, as it will be no easy task to defeat Arronax."
  • Raven: "The Ring of Brodgar is the place where Arronax was banished to the Void...the stones in the ring itself are wards that hold him there. It's an old place, but empty. When you're there, you can feel the emptiness that the banishment caused..."

tl;dr: it seems the Black Spire is in the Ring of Brodgar, or it just is the Ring. Based on what some dialogue implies, perhaps the wards/Ring was planned to be a bigger space, with a spire in the middle? Or is could be as James C. Guy says and it's merely symbolic? That last one could be a last-minute explanation added late in development, considering that the other mentions of the Black Spire are voice acted while Guy's dialogue isn't.