Easter Eggs & Real World References (Spoilers!)

Discussion in 'Player Created Resources' started by Rinaldi, Sep 5, 2016.

  1. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Real Word Reference
    Multiple zones and regions

    The names of several zones and regions in SOTA are derived from real world Non-English languages.


    I am not sure that all of the examples listed below were intentional.
    Also, note that many of the northern areas in Novia are named using languages from northern European countries, such as Norway and Iceland.
    In the list below, zones are towns or adventure scenes that the avatar can enter, whereas regions are areas on the map of Novia that describe a certain geographic area or structure (but there is no zone to enter).
    I am sure there are some names that I missed.


    Spindelskog - derived from "spindel skog", which is Norwegian for "spider forest". Spindelskog (zone) is on the continent of Mistrendur, and is a forest filled with spiders.

    Myrkur - derived from "myrkur", which is Icelandic for "dark".
    Myrkur (zone) is so dark inside that it is often hard to see anything!

    Drachvald
    - derived from "drachenwald", which is German for "dragon forrest".
    Examples in SOTA: Drachvald (region), North & South Drachvald Spur (zones)


    Grunvald - derived from "grünwald", which is German for "green forrest".
    Examples in SOTA: Grunvald (region), Grunvald Shardfall (zone), North & South Grunvald Barrens (zones)


    Hinterlands - derived from "hinter", which is German for "behind" (these lands are all located behind mountains)
    Examples in SOTA: North & South Hinterlands (zones), Far Hinterlands (zone)


    Brisach - derived from "breisach", which is Celtic for "break water"
    Examples in SOTA: Brisach Mapple Forrest (zone), Brisach River (region) - these areas are next to the coast, where a break water would be.


    Regalis - derived from "Regalis", which is Latin for "royal". Regalis (region) is near the towns of Brittany, which is the area dedicated to royal Lord British.

    Norgard - derived from "nord gård", which is Norwegian for "north farm". Norgard (region) is in northwest Novia.

    Estgard - derived from "øst gård", which is Norwegian for "east farm". Estgard (zone) is a town in the Norgard region.

    Valhold - derived from "Valholl", which is Old Norse & Icelandic for "Valhalla" (translation is "hall of the slain"). In Norse mythology, Valhalla was a hall where those who die in combat go to upon their death. Valhold (zone) is in Northwest novia on the island of Norgard.

    Ardoris - derived from "Ardor", which is Spanish for "Burning".
    Examples in SOTA: Ardoris (zone) is the city of love, burning with passion.

    Celestis - derived from "Celestis", which is Latin for "Heaven". Celestis (zone) is a city on Novia, near Ardoris.

    Ulfheim - derived from "Ulf Heim", which is Norwegian for "wolf home".

    For an Easter Egg that involves translation, see the post below.
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2021
  2. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg - reference to a real-life art thief
    Zone: Ardoris

    In Ardoris, there is a daily quest that can be done with either a reputable art dealer or a shady art dealer.
    The shady art dealer is named Stephanie Broadmeadow, who wishes to buy art even if they are forgeries.

    [​IMG]

    In Ardoris, she is located outside a building at the green arrow.
    [​IMG]
    .
    Stéphane Breitwieser is a notorious art thief in real life, who stole hundreds of art pieces over many years. He also tried to sell some of his stolen art pieces (effectively becoming a shady art dealer).
    The name "Breitwieser" derives from the German language ("breite" = broad, "wiese" = meadow), which refers to someone who lives by a broad meadow.
    Stephane Breitweiser (the art thief in real-life) became Stephanie Broadmeadow (the shady art dealer in SOTA)!
    This Easter Egg was placed by @Elgarion (who gave me a little hint to help me figure this one out!).
    .
    More References to Developers

    In the zone Spindelskog, there is a rock that jets out over a cliff. This rock is a point of interest called "Rostov's Finger".
    Travis Koleski (in game Avatar = List Rostov, forum name = @Vas Corp Por) is the developer who designed and created Spindelskog.
    I spoke to List Rostov and it turns out that he did not put his finger in the game. Another developer, Keith Quinn (forum name = @Sannio), who added the daily quest, creature spawns, and some other details to Spindelskog, apparently also added "Rostov's Finger" as point of interest (it was a surprise for List, he initially did not know about it!). Effectively, Sannio made sure this work of art was "signed" by the creator: the name "Rostov" is now part of the zone.

    I am standing on "Rostov's Finger", which you can see is listed as a point of interest on the compass (red arrows).
    [​IMG]

    The reputable art dealer in Ardoris is named "Caravaggios Wolf" which is the alter ego name of alumnus developer Stephen Daniele, who created much of the concept art for Shroud of the Avatar (you can see most of it on the SOTA Concept Art webpage, but you also see it on the loading screens when you enter a new zone). You can see his real name and his alter ego name on his twitter account. He also has a website that displays his artwork (including some of the SOTA concept art) and some details about his work in the gaming industry.

    [​IMG]

    In Ardoris, he is located inside a building at the green arrow.
    [​IMG]

    There are many more references to developers. Go the the initial post in this thread, and look in the section titled "References to Developers & to Developer's Friends/Family/Pets"
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2020
  3. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Minor Easter Egg: picnic scene
    in Tanglemire

    In Tanglemire, there are some mesa-like formations that have hexagonal stone columns around them. One of these mesa-like formations has a waterfall flowing from the top of it. If you jump to the top of this mesa, you will see the picnic scene. I was only able to get up there using a Ring of Frogkin or Ring of Cuttlekin, both of which increase jump height (however, even with one of these rings equipped, getting to the top of the mesa is still challenging).

    This picnic scene appears on the compass as a point of interest called "Picnic Basket" (location 138, 152, -176).
    On a fur blanket, there is a basket of potatoes, 2 wooden plates, a jug of whiskey, and a book called "Writing A Book".


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    This picnic scene is very similar to the Skeleton's Picnic in Blood Bay.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2020
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  4. Cora Cuz'avich

    Cora Cuz'avich Avatar

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    Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see mention here of the Obsidian Forge and its reference to U9.
     
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  5. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Eggs
    Location: Lord British's Castle

    In the Barracks room (Location: 24.4, 30.1 7.9), there is a dark head mounted high on the wall.

    This head has a striking resemblance the the Guardian from the Ultima series. Here is another in-game reference to the Guardian.

    [​IMG]

    Here is the mounted head as viewed from across the room
    [​IMG]

    "The Return of Lord British" is an original song honoring the return of Richard Garriott to computer gaming with the MMORPG "Shroud of the Avatar." The song was created by the Space Bards for a video contest held in April 2013. (for contest details, see "A Quest from Lord British"). "The Return of Lord British" song won the contest.

    During the sequential battles in Lord British's Castle, if you listen closely when you approach the swirly aura that spawns the creatures, you will hear part of this song play, and it gets louder as you get closer to the aura. In order to hear it, you must have the sound effects (SFX) slider set loud enough in the OPTIONS > AUDIO menu.


    Here is the Space Bard video of "The Return of Lord British"

    There is another reference to Space Bards in the game: The gypsy emote is a reference to a dance done by the gypsy in the video above. See this post for details on the Gypsy dance reference.

    In the large flower bed near the entrance to the scene, the flowers form Lord British 's heraldry emblem. In the pic below, the emblem is shown on the Lord British throne and the Lord British Round Shield (left side of pic) and shown in Lord British's Castle scene in the flower bed (right side of pic).
    [​IMG]

    Outside the castle, there is an outdoor theater.
    This may be another reference the the Curtain Theater in Garriott's Castleton (for more information, see the other reference to this theater in Northwood).


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2024
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  6. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg reference to Ultima 3
    Location: Lord British's Castle

    In both Ultima 3 and in SOTA, cards are inserted into a computer.

    In Ultima 3:
    In
    Ultima 3, the avatar had to collect 4 cards. These 4 cards were then inserted into Exodus (a computer-like device) which was the main enemy that the avatar had to defeat to win the game.

    In SOTA:
    One of the quests (given by a guard at the entrance) is the obtain three "encoded cards", which can be obtained as you progress through Lord British's castle. These cards are a reference to real-world "punch cards" that were used to load a program into a computer.
    If you enter into the vault, there is an encoded safe (which essentially is an NPC computer that uses part of the DND teletype graphic). If you give the 3 encoded cards to the "computer", you get experience points and gold (and take a negative hit to your virtue).
    For more Easter Eggs, see what is written on the encoded cards in SOTA.


    Below is a picture of the "Encoded Safe" inside Lord British's vault.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2020
  7. Cora Cuz'avich

    Cora Cuz'avich Avatar

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    Anybody find any loose wall plaques yet?
     
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  8. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Eggs: references to computers in 2001 Space Odyssey, Hitchhikers Guild to the Galaxy, Logan's Run, and War Games
    Location: Lord British's Castle

    In Lord British's Castle zone, there are 3 encoded cards that are located on bodies and in bags. As you progress through the zone, you can eventually get all 3 cards. The cards are quest items, and each card contains an encoded Easter Egg.
    You can give these cards to either Captain Marisha (who is near the entrance of the zone) or to the encoded safe (which is a computer-like device in Lord British's vault). Giving (or "inserting") cards into a computer is a reference to Ultima 3.

    The encoded safe is essentially an NPC computer that uses part of the DND teletype graphic.

    Below is a picture of the "Encoded Safe" inside Lord British's vault.
    [​IMG]

    For a description of the War Games Easter Egg, see this post.

    The Reference to the computers in 2001 Space Odyssey, Hitchhikers Guild to the Galaxy, and Logan's Run are all hidden on the encoded cards. The Encoded Cards are a reference to real-world "punch cards", which were used to load a program into a computer. In SOTA, each of the encoded cards has a list of binary codes (base 2 codes consisting of 8 zero's or one's). These codes are all references to notable computers.

    If you convert the binary codes to decimal codes, and then convert the decimal codes to ASCII character codes, you will decipher the text on the encoded cards. However, the simplest way to decipher the encoded cards is to double click the encoded card in your inventory, copy the contents of the card to the clip board, and then paste the contents into this binary to ASCII converter, and then click convert.
    Reference to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey & to IBM 704 (Encoded Card #1)
    Card #1 says "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you." This is part of the famous song "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)", which was composed in 1892. Daisy Bell was the first song ever sung by a computer: in 1961, the IBM 704 used speech synthesis to sing Daisy Bell. Shortly thereafter, the code was transferred to a newer system (IBM 7090) and computer generated music was added. Here is the actual audio recording with voice and music created on the IBM 7090 (released in 1962 on the record album shown below). This milestone was referenced in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the computer HAL sings Daisy Bell. And now, Daisy Bell is in SOTA!
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Reference to the computer from Logan's Run (Encoded Card #2)

    Card #2 says "That is the name of the object: Ankh." This is a quote from the movie Logan's Run. In this futuristic movie, the computer asks Logan about the Ankh symbol, but Logan does not know what it is. The computer responds "That is the name of the object: Ankh." Here is a clip of the scene in the movie. There is another reference to Logan's Run within SOTA: the New You Salon.

    Reference to Deep Thought from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Encoded Card #3)

    Card # 3 says "There is an answer. But, I'll have to think about it." This is a quote from the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. In this book, someone asks the Deep Thought computer for "The Answer", and the computer responds "There is an answer. But, I'll have to think about it." The passage in the book from which this quote derives is shown below.

    “O Deep Thought computer," he said, "the task we have designed you to perform is this. We want you to tell us...." he paused, "The Answer."
    "The Answer?" said Deep Thought. "The Answer to what?"
    "Life!" urged Fook.
    "The Universe!" said Lunkwill.
    "Everything!" they said in chorus.
    Deep Thought paused for a moment's reflection.
    "Tricky," he said finally.
    "But can you do it?"
    Again, a significant pause.
    "Yes," said Deep Thought, "I can do it."
    "There is an answer?" said Fook with breathless excitement.
    "Yes," said Deep Thought. "Life, the Universe, and Everything.
    There is an answer. But, I'll have to think about it."

    Pictures of the Encoded Cards

    You can translate the codes yourself by copying each code and pasting it into this binary to ASCII converter, and then clicking convert.

    Card #1
    01000100 01100001 01101001 01110011 01111001 00101100 00100000 01000100 01100001 01101001 01110011 01111001 00101100 00100000 01100111 01101001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 01101110 01110011 01110111 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100100 01101111 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01101000 01100001 01101100 01100110 00100000 01100011 01110010 01100001 01111010 01111001 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110

    Card #2

    01010100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101110 01100001 01101101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100010 01101010 01100101 01100011 01110100 00111010 00100000 01000001 01101110 01101011 01101000 00101110

    Card #3

    01010100 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100001 01101110 01110011 01110111 01100101 01110010 00101110 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00101100 00100000 01001001 00100111 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00101110

    [​IMG]

    Here are some other Easter Eggs in Lord British's castle.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2020
  9. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg: reference the movie War Games (and its main computer WOPR)
    Location: Lord British's Castle

    In the vault of Lord British's Castle, there is an encoded safe (which is a computer-like device in Lord British's vault).
    This computer has some hidden dialogue (the key phrase that trigger's the hidden dialogue is not listed in the conversation window).

    [​IMG]

    Type the phrase "Lord British" (must have capital L and capital B), and the encoded safe responds "Hello Lord British. Shall we play a game?" It now offers 3 new conversation options at the bottom of the dialogue window:
    1. "Yes, I'd love to."
    2. "How about thermonuclear war?"
    3. "No"
    [​IMG]

    If you select "Yes, I'd love to" or "How about thermonuclear war?", the encoded safe responds with "Searching...game not found."
    If you select "No", the encoded safe responds with "Ready."


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The statements "Shall we play a game?", "Love to", and "How about thermonuclear war?" are references to the computer in the 1983 movie War Games.
    Here is a brief except from the movie showing all 3 of these statements:



    For other Easter Eggs in Lord British's castle, see these links:
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2023
  10. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg: reference the movie Caddyshack
    Location: Well of Aldur

    Some NPC's in this zone are references to characters in the movie Caddyshack.

    Smails In Caddyshack
    Judge Elihu Smails was the country club's arrogant co-founder and director of the caddie scholarship program.
    Judge Smails was played by actor Ted Knight , whose first name was actually Thadeusz (Polish for Thaddeus).

    Smails in SOTA
    Professor Thaddaeus Smails - this NPC's name is derived from a combination of real life references:
    • First name: Thaddeus - reference to Ted Knight's birth name of Thadeusz (Polish for Thaddeus).
    • Last Name: Smails - reference to Elihu Smails, the character played by Ted Knight in Caddyshack.
    In Caddy Shack, Smails was a judge who was owner/director the country club, whereas in SOTA, Smails is a professor who was director of the mission to Well of Aldur.
    Based on the conversations in this zone, you will see that Smails in SOTA is arrogant, just like Smails in Caddyshack.
    Hidden Dialogue - type Rodney (or Rodney Dangerfield), and he responds "I can't place the name. One wonders if he was one of the crew of my airship."
    In other dialogue, Smails mentions the Knights of Norgard - this may have been an intentional reference to Ted Knight.

    Czervik in Caddyshack
    Al Czervik was a wealthy, wild member of the country club, whose crude behavior often irked Smails. Czervik was played by actor and comedian Rodney Dangerfield.
    Czervik in SOTA
    Rodney Czervik - this NPC's name is derived from a combination of real life references:
    • First name: Rodney - reference to Rodney Dangerfield.
    • Last Name: Czervik - reference to Al Czervik, the character played by Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.
    In Caddyshack, Czervik was a member of Smails' country club, whereas in SOTA Czervik is an member in Smails' crew.

    In SOTA, there are a few wood ducks near Smails. These ducks could also be a reference to Caddyshack (although, I may be over-reaching a bit for these duck references).
    The country club in the movie was called "Bushwood", and the ducks in-game are "wood ducks", so maybe the "wood" ducks are a reference to Bush"wood" in the movie?

    Also, there is a famous line from the movie that involves ducks. Czervik farts, and then asks "Oh, did someone step on a duck?" (behavior which further irks Smails who is sitting nearby). In SOTA, Perhaps the ducks near Smails are a reference to the "step on a duck" line from the movie?


    One of the wood ducks in SOTA
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2021
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  11. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    In Release 88, two of the recipes that @Elgarion added are based on ones my mom always served. Norgardian Lefse is based on the traditional Norwegian flatbread, which she always served for holidays. Papa Holly's Savory Sandwich is something her father created for the cafe that their family ran to use up turkey after Thanksgiving. They called it a Narrowgauge, and its a baked, open faced turkey sandwich with pepper gravy, bacon and asparagus.

    My mom passed away 10 years ago, but she is memorialized in Shroud as a housing vendor in Brittany. She was a real estate agent, and her alter ego Mari Holly can be found on the path leading to Brittany Castle. And now, her recipes can be enjoyed by all.

    Thanks to Lum the Mad, who added her NPC into the game, to Elgarion who added her recipes, and to Richard and Chris for giving me a place to do so.
     
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  12. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    Both very good recipe suggestions too, thanks again Jayson :)
     
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  13. Alley Oop

    Alley Oop Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

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    https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...references-spoilers.61627/page-6#post-1044974

    another zombie movie reference in Eastmarch:

    The Ventaceaster - reference to the movie "Shaun of the Dead"

    In the movie Shaun of the Dead, Shaun and his best friend frequent a bar named The Winchester, which is named after a Winchester rifle mounted on a plaque above the bar. The rifle plays a part later in the plot.

    [​IMG]

    In Game:

    There is a point of interest and a wooden sign at the tavern named "The Ventaceaster" (Location 115.334, 38.371, 136.593). Ventaceaster is an old version of the name Winchester.

    Inside there is a kobold rifle mounted on a plaque high on a wall next to the bar.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Alley Oop

    Alley Oop Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

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    another princess bride reference in elad's lighthouse:

    in the movie, inigo and fezzik confront the albino in the woods, trying to find the man in black. fezzik hits him too hard during questioning him as to where the entrance is and so inigo prays to his father to guide his sword, which presses the tree knot that is a button to open the entrance so they can get into the secret chamber.

    later in the movie:

    Inigo Montoya: Where we did we put that wheelbarrow the albino had?
    Fezzik: Over the albino, I think.

    in elad's lighthouse, there's an overturned wheelbarrow covering a corpse and a sword stuck in a tree knot at 382.521, 77.648, -280.859

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg and Reference to Ultima Online: Purple Llama

    In Ultima Online (also known as UO), there is a spell called "Energy Vortex" that conjures a purple air elemental. The elemental is labelled "An energy vortex" and it attacks surrounding targets. One in 1,000 casts of the spell will summon a purple llama rather than the purple air elemental. Initially the Llama was a graphical bug, but it was intentionally left in the game as an Easter Egg.
    Pictures of the purple llama in UO:

    [​IMG]

    Also, the words that are uttered to cast the "Energy Vortex" spell are "Vas Corp Por" - which is the forum name of one of the SOTA developers: Vas Corp Por, aka List Rostov in-game, aka Travis in real-life.

    The purple Llama in SOTA is also labelled "an energy vortex" and it is a very rare spawn in The Breach, Paladis Shardfall, and Grunvald Shardfall (I am not sure if it spawns in other zones). The Llama does not attack, has 3786 hit points, has no loot, cannot be skinned (it just disappears after it is killed), cannot be tamed, and gives 400 XP when it is killed. This Easter egg is an homage to the purple Llama Easter Egg in UO.
    Pictures of the purple llama in SOTA:

    [​IMG]

    Thanks @Alley Oop for helping with this one!
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2023
  16. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Reference to Saberhagen from Sabrina the Teenage Witch
    In Manor of Mystery

    How to Access the Manor of Mystery
    The Manor of Mystery is a zone that can be accessed by talking to the Mages of Mystery (when you talk to them, type the key words "Manor of Mystery").
    Mages of Mystery can be found in Castle Atos and in zones with control points (such as Vertas Pass, Vauban Pass, Brightbone Pass, Eastreach gap, etc).
    Also, you need to have good virtue to enter the Manor of Mystery zone.

    Saberhagen Reference in SOTA
    Once you are in the Manor of Mystery, enter the building and go to the library.
    In the back of the library you will see a ladder.
    There is a cat that appears at the bottom or at the top of the ladder (the cat often moves between these locations).
    If you click on the cat, a conversation window appears.
    If you click on the keyword "name", you find that the collar on the cat reads "Saberhagen"


    Cat at the bottom of the ladder
    [​IMG]

    Cat at the top of the ladder
    [​IMG]

    Cat "conversation"
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    SaberHagen in Real Life
    This is a reference to Salem Saberhagen, a character from the Archie Comics series entitled Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Salem Saberhagen was a human witch that was sentenced by the Witch's Council to spend 100 years as a cat (as punishment for trying to take over the world).

    Addendum/Edit:
    When I initially posted this, I did not have confirmation that it was a reference to Salem Saberhagen. So, I thought it could either be a reference to Salem Saberhagen or to Fred Saberhagen (a science fiction writer, whose writings included the Berserker series, the Dracula series, and the Ardneh sequence). However, Sannio subsequently stated that the intended reference was to Salem Saberhagen (see Sannio's post below).
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2022
  17. Sannio

    Sannio Lead Quest and Level Designer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    It's a tribute to Salem, the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch :)
     
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  18. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg - reference to the book Watership Down
    Zone: Spectral Mines

    In the 1972 book Watership Down, author Richard Adams created a fictional language called Lapine that is spoken by the rabbit characters in the book. The language was also used in the 1996 book Tales from Watership Down (a sequel to Watership Down).
    The name "Lapine" derives from the French word for rabbit: lapin.

    In a cave in Spectral Mines, there are Lepus Zombies and sometimes a seasonal rabbit creature called the Dark Archlapin of Death and Destruction. These creatures are part of a more overarching Easter egg about Monty Python. For details on the Lepus Zombies, the Archlapin, and the Monty Python reference, see this post.

    The Lepus Zombies and the Archlapin are also a reference to Watership Down, because they speak "Lapine" and because their spoken words reflect text and/or themes in the book.

    Lapine Statements in SOTA
    The Lepus Zombies use the term "elil" in their statements. In Lapine, the term "elil" means an enemy of rabbits.
    [​IMG]
    When you kill the Dark Archlapin of Death and Destruction, its dying words are:
    [​IMG]
    "Elil-ahrairah" is the mythical savior of the rabbits. Since the rabbits had a lot of enemies, the savior is also called "Elil-Hriair-Rah", which means "prince with a thousand enemies". Note that rabbits tend to be inactive during the night, presumably to avoid nocturnal predators. So, they are "fearful" of enemies after the moon rises.

    So the full dying text of the Archlapin means "Savior, prince with a thousand enemies, after the moon rises, fearful...murder murder enemy..."

    A more complete listing of the Lapine language from the books (and its English translation) can be found
    here.
    .
    Statements in SOTA that Reflect Text/Topics from Watership Down
    Some of the English statements from the Lepus Zombies reflect text and/or themes in the book.

    From SOTA: [​IMG]
    From the book: "Men will never rest till they've spoiled the earth and destroyed the animals.”

    From SOTA: [​IMG]
    From the book: "...prince with the swift warning...Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.” (The savior rabbit was also known as "prince with the swift warning" as well as "prince with a thousand enemies").
    .
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2022
  19. Rinaldi

    Rinaldi Bug Hunter

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    Easter Egg: Barrel of Monkeys
    Zone: Grusk

    Barrel of Monkeys is a toy that was released in 1965. It is a game consisting of a plastic barrel that contains 12 plastic monkeys.
    It was ranked number 53 on Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Greatest Toys list, and it appeared in the Toy Story series of animated movies.


    [​IMG]

    In Grusk (a zone on Mistrendur), there are many blue barrels. Some of the blue barrels have 3 runic letters on them:

    [​IMG]

    When translated to English, the runic letters spell "BOM": an abbreviation for "Barrel Of Monkeys".
    When you break one of these barrels, the barrel explodes and releases clockwork monkeys.
    (BOM is also a phonetic spelling for bomb: could this also be a hint that the barrel is explosive?).


    [​IMG]

    This is from the SOTA discord channel when Grusk was being tested on QA:

    [​IMG]

    It is amazingly cool that the game developers consider suggestions made by the players.
    I was mostly joking when I made this suggestion, and never anticipated that it would be incorporated into the game...but it looks like Sannio took my monkey business seriously
    and now SOTA has a barrel of monkeys :D
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2022
  20. Coswald_Dirthmire

    Coswald_Dirthmire Bug Hunter

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    I think I might have found an easter egg in the naming of guard NPCs in LB's Castle. The names of the NPC guards Captain Marisha, Sergeant Liam, Corporal Riegel, Lieutenant Bailey are possibly a reference to the Critical Role cast members Marisha Ray, Liam O'Brien, Sam Riegel, and Luara Bailey.