Reddit archive - Arcanum Lore: "Panarii speculation"
The internet is a fickle place and I'm a strong advocate for the preservation of media + discussion, so I'm backing up things here, in case the original Reddit post gets deleted.
So, nearly a year ago, someone asked about Panarii lore on r/arcanum and I was happy to oblige in answering! I also learned that Reddit comments have a character limit, so my reply ended up being multiple comments long to fully answer this person's questions.
(Screenshots of my original answers will be at bottom, but for my copy of the text here on tumblr, I will correct typos, make clarifications, or add additional information I still think is pertinent, now that I have less of a character/image limit here.)
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ARCANUM: OF STEAMWORKS AND MAGICK OBSCURA!
I recommend finishing the game at least once before reading further!
tl;dr:
The "teachings of Nasrudin" preach that all races are equal and generally encourages folks to be good people, and to combat evil ("something which disallows the progression of the natural order") when you can.
Panarii is an ancient word meaning 'light-servant' or 'follower.' The root of this word is Pan-R'nes, an even older (likely elven) word meaning "defenders of the gate. "
Mannox's ascension and beatification were a cover-up by the Dark Elves who infiltrated the Panarii religion. Their goal was to distort the narrative of who Nasrudin and Arronax truly were (by mythologizing history) to further their agenda of weakening the Ring of Brodgar's wards.
There are two Pope-like figures: the High Acolyte/First Acolyte (a spiritual leader and warlord for the Panarii temple) and the High Priest (who is more along the typical Pope-like archetype). The High Priest outranks the High Acolyte, but both are immensely respected within the religion.
Disclaimer: Unmarked spoilers throughout this, as it's generally just very spoilery for the background of the main story and key worldbuilding tidbits. I'm pulling information from both the Good-aligned and Evil-aligned routes!
Okay, time for the long answer! Basically, there isn't much direct exposition about the Panarii religion for a good chunk of the early game. Not helped by the fact that our main Panarii man, Virgil, barely knows anything about his newfound religion at the start of the game.
Living One (if you pick the skeptical dialogue options at the start of the game): "It sounds like you aren't convinced. What do you think?" Virgil: "After seeing what I just did, I don't know what to believe anymore. Believe me, I'm no saint, friend. A week ago, I would have laughed at all of this. But now, I just don't know…"
Fortunately, as the main quest progresses, most of your questions can be answered at the First Panarii Temple in Caladon, after your visit to T'sen-Ang. There, you talk to a lot of head honchos of the Panarii Church: High Acolyte Alexander, Gunther Willhelm the Church Historian, and Hadrian the Archaeologist.
1.) What do Panarii followers believe in? / What are the teachings of Nasrudin?
Generally, the religion centers on subverting elven supremacist notions prevalent during the Age of Legends (and still practiced by the Dark Elves of T'sen-Ang). The Panarii seem to promote the teachings of respecting your fellow Arcanum denizen and that one's race does not make one inherently better than the other.
Living One: "What is the essence of Nasrudin's teachings?" High Acolyte Alexander: "Nasrudin was an ardent believer in elven philosophy. Elves feel that everyone and everything have their rightful place in the world…that this reality is formed through the combined experience of all forms of life. Good and evil rarely play a part in how elves view the world…" Living One: "What might be considered evil?" Alexander: "Evil, in the most basic terms, might be described as something which disallows the progression of the natural order. I suppose it's a gray area, but you might say evil is anything diametrically opposed to elven philosophy…" Living One: "To which, I might say…even THOSE things have their place…" Alexander: [Alexander smiles.] "It's said that single elven philosophical debates have spanned literal decades. You can see why…"
The Panarii believe that Nasrudin is a messiah-like figure whose death stopped a great evil (Arronax) and laid the groundwork for an Arcanum where all races were equal.
Living One: "What was the Elven Council?" Alexander: "The Elven Council was a group of elves who ruled Arcanum during the Age of Legends. It was made up of powerful elven mages…and their leader was Nasrudin. Together they oversaw the well-being of all of the races. The council was disbanded soon after the death of Nasrudin. They felt that their time had passed---it was not for ANYONE to rule over all of the races."
We also get a glimpse of this in the Archaeon, the holy text of the Panarii (also found in the First Panarii Temple):
Archaeon: For Nasrudin saw all beings as made equal, and gathered those about him who loved all the races as their own. Dwarf and elf, human and gnome, halfling and orc… all were beautiful to him, and he watched over them all as if they were his own children.
I find all of this very interesting because Nasrudin himself didn't actually have this mindset during the Age of Legends. He's absolutely mellowed out in present-day Arcanum, but he originally formed the Elven Council because he and his fellow elves believed that his kind were the best-suited to rule/guide the "lesser races." He was still a protector of all the races of Arcanum in his heyday, which likely contributed to his being remembered by the present-day Panarii as a benevolent figure.
Nasrudin: "It started in the Age of Legends. I was young, headstrong. I thought I could take on the world, and I did. I fought the good fight, to protect the 'lesser races,' as I arrogantly called them, from the chaos that raged everywhere. Dragons, demons, evil sorcerers, I fought them all and won. And this all before even the days of the Elven Council." Living One: "How did the Elven Council come about?" Nasrudin: "I gathered a group of idealistic mages together, and we created an Elven Council. 'For the good of all.' We really believed that. For a time, I suppose it was even true. I really believe things began to change when we discovered a way to banish things from this plane of existence."
2.) What does "Panarii" even mean?
Panarii is an ancient elven/old tongue word for "light-servant"/"follower," but Gunther Willhelm suggests that the word is a corruption from another elven word: Pan-R'nes.
Gunther Willhelm the Church Historian: "There are a few differences in some of the passages that I've found in this earlier copy. I'll give you an example--the Archaeon we read today refers to our order as the 'Panarii'. The word Panarii, in the old tongue, means 'light-servant' or 'follower'. But in this older copy I'm studying, we are referred to as the 'Pan-R'nes', which means 'defenders of the gate'. Very odd…"
This supported by your followers' tell-me-about-this-place dialogue for Shrouded Hills, which houses a Panarii Temple. Z'an Al'urin's vision points more toward the "defender" translation.
Virgil: "This is Shrouded Hills. There's an old Panarii temple here…the Elder Joachim told me that it was once a very important place to the Panarii. I don't know much else about the place, beyond that…" Z'an Al'urin: [She closes her eyes.] "I see…an ancient house of the Defenders…a restless spirit…a place of prophecy." [Her eyes open again.] "Does that mean anything to you…?"
3.) What's the deal with Saint Mannox?
I'll admit that my notes on Mannox aren't as organized nor succinct, but I'm going to try my best here.
A key detail here is that Mannox met Nasrudin 1000 years after Nasrudin presumably "died" for their sins/the equality of Arcanum's races and to rid the world of "the Evil."
Nasrudin: "When I regained consciousness, I was on the shore of Thanatos. I had regained just enough energy to seal myself in a regenerative shell. I remained that way for a thousand years. No one had ever stayed in a shell for anywhere near that amount of time. Somehow, my 'magical hibernation' extended my life much beyond that of even the most powerful Elven mages." Nasrudin: "I am well aware of the whole Panarii tomfoolery, yes. When I emerged from my regenerative state, I traveled to the mainland. I suppose I thought I could somehow live among the world again … after I spoke with that Mannox fellow, I knew I was deluding myself."
From this, I think it can be inferred that the narrative about Nasrudin had already warped the elf into this messiah/godlike figure. It is also likely that the Dark Elves already began/were deep in the works of sabotaging the goal of the original Pan-R'nes/Defenders (but I'll get back to that later).
Nasrudin: "The world out there is not mine, it only serves to remind me of my failure. Everyone I knew, everything I held dear, is gone. I myself should have died long ago. Besides, I do not fancy being worshiped as a god." Living One: "You know about the Panarii?" Nasrudin: "I am well aware of the whole Panarii tomfoolery, yes. When I emerged from my regenerative state, I traveled to the mainland. I suppose I thought I could somehow live among the world again … after I spoke with that Mannox fellow, I knew I was deluding myself." Living One: "[The Panarii] believe I am your reincarnation." Nasrudin: "I pity you, then. I received a taste of their hero worship from Mannox, and I can tell you I didn't like the taste of it one bit." Living One: "Didn't you tell [Mannox] who you were?" Nasrudin: "After I listened to his insane beliefs for what seemed like hours, I hinted that I had actually known Nasrudin. He was already too far gone. He would not have believed any of my protests or denials of my godhood. He most likely would have interpreted the whole thing as some sort of test, I suppose." Living One: "What happened to Mannox? They believe he 'ascended' with you." Nasrudin: "Yes, word of that eventually reached my ears. I can only assume that somehow he realized who I was and began talking about his 'visitation.' I have not the slightest idea where the ascension piece of the legend originated from." Living One: "Are you aware that K'an Hua murdered Mannox?" Nasrudin: "When Mannox disappeared, I knew that something of that nature must have transpired." Living One: "And you did nothing about it?" Nasrudin: "I decided it was no longer my place to play a god. Who am I to decide who is right? When I took on that role before … well, you have already heard what happened then."
4.) So, how did Mannox get beatified?
Saint Mannox's beatification is actually a cover-up for his murder by the Dark Elves that infiltrated the Panarii Church to spin the narrative.
The Dark Elves, particularly K'an Hua, spun the tale that Mannox actually ascended to explain away his disappearance and the lack of a body to bury (or resurrect), had they just said Mannox died. This also provided the Dark Elves a corpse to use as a "body of Nasrudin" to put in the sarcophagus beneath the Temple, where nobody was permitted to look (not even Hadrian, the Panarii's Archaeologist). The fruits of the Dark Elves' labor are evident in the way Alexander, Mannox's direct descendant, understands the tale of Mannox's "ascension."
High Acolyte Alexander: "Legend tells that Saint Mannox was visited by the spirit of Nasrudin himself, and that Nasrudin found him so holy that he took his body directly from this plane of existence to the next. This has only ever happened once in all of our history, and so we remember him." [Alexander gets a strange, far-off look in his eyes. Pride? And a little sadness, it seems…]
The Church Historian also has this to say:
Gunther Willhelm: "There were two eye-witnesses to the ascension of Mannox--two elves: of One was an elf named R'aan-Dar, and the other…what was his name…K'an Hua, I believe. Their accounts of the incident were almost exactly the same, and both were beautifully written…" Living One: "Do the church records say who discovered [Nasrudin's remains]?" Gunther Willhelm: "Yes…let me see…" [He pulls a weathered tome from the shelf.] "Ah…here we are. The elf's name was K'an Hua…" Living One: "Wasn't the person who witnessed the ascension named K'an Hua?" Gunther Willhelm: "Why, yes…its at least the same name. Let me look at the years…the discovery of the remains happened within a few years of the ascension of Saint Mannox. I never realized that, but you're correct. That very well might have been the same person…" Living One: "Don't you find that strange? Perhaps a little convenient?"
In the Evil-aligned route, you meet K'an Hua, an ancient Dark Elf and the High Priest of the Panarii Church. He gives the Dark Elven perspective about the Panarii's history and their intentions for infiltrating the religion.
Living One: "It makes no sense that you're the head of the Panarii church." K'an Hua: "Ahh. The beauty. The simplicity of all. If one needs to find ways to weaken the wards, one takes over the order dedicated to strengthening them, yesss? Working at cross purposes is displeasing to the circular flow of energies, you see?" Living One: "Why not destroy the church? It seems at odds with your goal." K'an Hua: "That is quite the provocative query, is it not? Energies are squandered in direct conflict and eyes are drawn towards it. Subterfuge and manipulation are such that the subject does not realize an attack is in the offing. Ironically, the secret of my schemes lie with Nasrudin." Living One: "But the church still paints Arronax as the ultimate evil." K'an Hua: "The entire corpus of a religion can not be discarded without raising eyebrows, do you see? Slowly turned it must be. A being of 'ultimate evil' is the figment of a child's dreams, is it not? Yesss. Arronax can be proven to never have existed by philosophers, left to their own devicesss."
Or to put it simply, courtesy of a low-intelligence Living One:
Living One: "Hows come you head of church? Pan are rye say Arronax bad." K'an Hua: "Understanding of such a complex situation would surely elude you, would it not? I will merely say that instead of fighting a powerful enemy, we corrupted it from the inside. Do you see?"
It should also be noted that the general masses do not know that the High Priest's name is K'an Hua, hence the failure to connect the dots that the K'an Hua who supposedly discovered "Nasrudin's remains" is the same man now leading the church.
M'in Gorad: "Now that you have proven yourself dedicated to our cause, you must go to the Panarii temple in Caladon and speak with K'an Hua. He is known there only as the high priest, but you will be able to gain admittance to see him by using his real name. He will have an assignment for you."
So, why did the Dark Elves infiltrate the Panarii church in the first place? Well, it's important to understand the origins of the Panarii (or in this case, the Pan-R'nes/defenders of the gate + the wards).
Living One: "Did [Mannox] tell you how the Panarii began?" Nasrudin: "He did not know much, mostly some fanciful notions mixed with bits and pieces of history. As near as I was able to put together from speaking with [Mannox], K'rynn Urden, the last surviving member of the Council, started the Panarii simply to maintain the wards. To periodically strengthen them, as it were." - K'an Hua: "All remaining energy left in the bones of the few remaining [Elven Councilors] was drained to create the wards to seal the rift. Death it meant to several of them, and even the great Nasrudin was unable to regenerate his energy stores." (couldn't find the voice clip for this one, sorry!)
The Pan-R'nes (the name later corrupted into "Panarii") were formed by the last-surviving Elven Councilor (K'rynn Urden) after the last Void banishment to maintain the magickal wards to prevent anybody from escaping the Void. These wards became the site now known in present-day Arcanum as the Ring of Brodgar.
So what does all this mean for Mannox? How does this contribute to his murder/"ascension"? The Dark Elves mystified history to make it easier to carry out their plans. They deliberately paint Arronax as this "dark god"/"ultimate evil" to make him something that can be reasoned away as metaphor or just myth, and thus not an actual, credible threat to be prepared for or to conduct the ward-maintaining rituals.
Let's revisit this earlier line from Alexander:
Legend tells that Saint Mannox was visited by the spirit of Nasrudin himself, and that Nasrudin found him so holy that he took his body directly from this plane of existence to the next.
The current Panarii mythology spins Nasrudin as something akin to a holy spirit, something divine, or something equally like how Arronax is portrayed: something explained away like a myth or legend. As Nasrudin's account of Mannox tells, Nasrudin, in-the-flesh and very much alive after a millennium-long magickal nap, met Mannox. The Dark Elves seem to not know of Nasrudin actually being alive (based on K'an Hua's reaction to Nasrudin if you play your cards right near the end of the game). However, now they've got a popular miracle worker human man who could say that Nasrudin is still alive + possibly spout some of the truth about Arronax's banishment. This could've undermined the Dark Elves' efforts from the past 1000 years if the mythologized Nasrudin were proven to be flesh-and-blood, let alone alive.
Now, I'm speculating a bit here, but it could be presumed that Mannox had already opened his mouth about his meeting with Nasrudin. And it seemed like Mannox had the reputation of a miracle-worker who likely had a large following, thus he wasn't just a "nobody" the Dark Elves could kill without it looking suspicious.
Hadrian the Archaeologist: "Legend tells of a time when Saint Mannox had been captured by barbarians…they were plundering the surrounding countryside, and were holding Mannox for ransom. He told his people to refuse, so the barbarians threatened to cut off one his fingers if he didn't comply. Mannox calmly picked up a knife, told them there would be no ransom, and cut it off himself." - Alexander: "Saint Mannox was a very, very holy man. There are many miracles attributed to him, and most of them are well-documented. There's a talisman associated with him at the offices of archaeology, if you're interested in that sort of thing…"
And if I am interpreting the wording of this quote by Gunther Willhelm, then Mannox was a huge deal amongst the Panarii, possibly already being a First Acolyte by the time of his death. The alternate explanation is that the title was granted to Mannox's descendants post-ascension (post-mortem), but I am unsure about this matter in general.
Gunther Willhelm: "You haven't heard? [Alexander] almost never speaks of it…the man has enough humility for all of us. Alexander is a direct descendent of Mannox…his family has held the position of First Acolyte for the last 1500 years…"
In the end: Mannox, a very holy man, was murdered, and his mysterious disappearance (murder) was mystified into an "ascension" carried out by the spirit of Nasrudin as a reward for his immense faith. His corpse was hidden in "Nasrudin's" sarcophagus, and nobody was ever permitted to check the contents of the catacombs to verify the skeleton's identity.
Given how huge a deal Mannox was and that magick was still at a higher point 1000 years before the the start of the game, resurrection magick was likely still quite accessible, so long as one had a sufficiently intact body to cast the spell on. By saying Mannox "ascended", nobody would dare to look for him, nor a corpse to either bury or resurrect.
5.) Is there a Pope-like figure for the Panarii?
Yes! Two, in fact: The High Acolyte/First Acolyte (both names are used for this title) and the High Priest.
I already mentioned Alexander the Acolyte, and he serves the hereditary role of High Acolyte for the Panarii religion, a position his bloodline has held since Mannox's "ascension." The High/First Acolyte's role appears to be the guardian of the Panarii church, ready to defend it if necessary.
Living One: "Alexander seemed a little…strange…when speaking of him…" Gunther Willhelm: "You haven't heard? He almost never speaks of it…the man has enough humility for all of us. Alexander is a direct descendent of Mannox…his family has held the position of First Acolyte for the last 1500 years…" Living One: "No…I didn't know that. That's quite a legacy." Gunther: "Yes, it is. And there's no better man to bear it--Alexander is a saint in his own right. There are few men I respect, my friend. Alexander is a noble soul…do you know anything of him?" Living One: "No. Tell me of him…" Gunther: "Alexander hasn't always been with us here at the Temple. You see the First Acolyte's role, in any Panarii temple, is as spiritual leader AND war-lord. Symbolically, he is to assume these roles just as Nasrudin did, so many years ago. Most Acolytes go into this very lightly…they might entreat the local constabulary to train them in basic combat techniques. Not so, Alexander…" Living One: "What did he do?" Gunther: "Alexander left us for 10 years, and studied with some of the most feared and respected masters in several combat disciplines. For his pilgrimage, he traveled to the Vendigroth wastes and lived there, alone, until he thought himself ready to assume his post. If you know nothing of the Wastes, know this. There's no more terrible place in all of Arcanum…" Living One: "So he is a skilled warrior?" Gunther: "There's not a more dangerous man in all of Caladon. And he's very well-versed in two or three of the magick colleges as well, as are all of us who are Panarii elders. The Temple hasn't been in safer hands since it was in those of the Great Saint himself…"
The other Pope-like figure is the High Priest, who seems to be the general guide/leader in how the Panarii conducts its business, as well as influencing how the Church understands its myths and prophecies (and, by extension, what the average follower should believe about the Panarii's teachings). As I detailed in an earlier section, the High Priest can massively influence how mystical something seems, blurring the line between mythology and history.
Alright, I'm finished! I hope this answers at least a few of your questions! It was fun busting out my notes for this~
My original responses on Reddit (typos galore yippee)
((Lastly, if I made an error anywhere, let me know and I'll add corrections!))
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk :)
