Easter Eggs

References

• The description of Ghostbane says "Who you gonna call?". This is a reference to the film Ghostbusters.
• The description of the Iron and Steel Greataxe says "Like the song says: careful with that axe". This is a reference to the song Careful with that axe, Eugene by Pink Floyd.
• The description of the Ring of the Star Traveller says "Useful for all kind of galaxy hitchhikers". This is a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Fittingly, the mana value of this item equals 42!
• In the book at the entrance to the Traitors area of the Mausoleum, there is a text passage reading "War, War never changes". This is a reference to the Fallout series.
• One of the password options for opening the door to the Tower of Tremadan is "Say Mellon". This is a reference to the book or film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
• One of the proposed character names during the initial dialogue of The World is a Stage in New Anthur is "I am the Pineapple Man!". This is a reference to the comic Pineapple Man. The same line also appears when talking to the Guardian Golem in the Cave of Echoes.
• In the Ark of Lothasan, each time you go to one of those frustrating computer terminals, you see that the operating systems is "ArcOS V3.1". This might be a reference to Windows 3.1, the version of Windows famous for the "screen of death". Appropriate when you are surrounded by robot agents of death.
• My Little Vorator, by Terezza is perhaps a reference to the toy line My Little Pony, with the main difference that ponies usually don't tend to be fearsome monsters who could maul you to death.
• The books in the Secrets of the Dead quest might make you grin if you recognize the references:
  • The description of Vampires, the Myth says "This book makes no sense. It just covers many complicated ways to throw a lot of dice". This is a reference to the tabletop RPG Vampire: The Masquerade.
  • The description of Of Ghosts and Spectres says "In a surprising final twist, all the protagonists of the story are alive". This is probably a reference to the film The Sixth Sense or The Others.
  • The description of the Tolassian Embalming Codex says "Everything you wanted to know about mummies but were too afraid to ask". This is a reference to the film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask).
  • The description for On Imperial Necromancy says "How to make Skeletons and influence Zombies." This is a reference to bestselling self-help book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Character Naming

• Many characters in New Garand have their names borrowed from the band Pink Floyd, most notably Trader Pink and Armorer Floyd, but also Barret, Gilmour, Sir Andrew Mason, Waters, and Captain Wright, which refer to the band members Syd Barrett, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright, respectively. New Garand is a center of learning, with a major library and guilds, and here is the band that sung, "We don't need no education." Fittingly, New Garand is surrounded by a wall, just like their album The Wall.
• Likewise, the names of Spice Trader Jethro and Alchemist Tull hint at the band Jethro Tull.
• Another inspiration seems to have been the band Camel. Not only lent their founder Andrew Latimer his name to Latimer, but there are also references in the quest Spicing Things Up. The family name of Fritha Rhayader appears as a song in their album The Snow Goose, which itself is referenced in the description of the Rhayader Medallion, "a curious and ancient jewel, with the emblem of a white goose extending its wings". Thanks to Asherun Storba for pointing out these insights into the developers taste in music.
• Many characters in New Anthur have their names borrowed from Shakespeare's plays:
  • Captain Guildenstern, Laertes, Trader Ophelia, Polonius, and Trader Rosencrantz from Hamlet,
  • Captain Demetrius and Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream,
  • Cordelia from King Lear,
  • Banquo from Macbeth.
• Other names in Freetown are anagrams of characters from The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien:
  • Armorer Dorma = Amrod,
  • Tribune Geleb = Beleg,
  • Legionnaire Gnulbam = Mablung,
  • Niruh = Hurin,
  • Ronaëf = Feanor.
• Another source of inspiration has been the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, from which Sage Amaryl, Bishop Bayta, Blacksmith Dornick, Trader Hardin, Brother Palver, Captain Pelorat, and Seldon in Nivarian received their names.
• Two Golden Hand Traders have their names reflecting their prices:
  • Trader Orac "Orac" is an anagram of Spanish "caro", which means expensive. This reflects the fact that Trader Orac sells (but also buys) wares at 8% higher prices.
  • Trader Otarab The name "Otarab" is an anagram of Spanish "barato", which means cheap. This reflects the fact that Trader Otarab sells (but also buys) wares with a 15% discount.

Miscellaneous

• The value of the Demonic Skull is 666, the Number of the Beast. However, as it sells for only 1/4 of its value, this number is actually never observed in the game.
• The structure of New Anthur is based upon Act 3 of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare which is Exit, Pursued by a Bear.