First Panarii Temple – Arcanum

This guide will walk you through the First Panarii Temple in Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura.

Area Note

If you enter the temple the first time you visit Caladon, you’ll find out that First Acolyte Alexander is away, and you won’t be able to do very much. Alexander will come back once you have a reason to delve further into the temple (that is, after you’ve been to T’sen-Ang).

1 – The Archaeon

The book contains the prophecy Virgil had so much trouble remembering at the beginning of the game.

2 – Alexander

If you joined the dark elves:

First Acolyte Alexander will tell you that he and the high priest have been expecting you, and then he’ll automatically open the locked doors behind him, allowing you entry into the temple.

If you didn’t join the dark elves:

If you sold your story to the Tarantian, then First Acolyte Alexander will recognize you as the Living One, and he’ll be thrilled to see you. If Alexander doesn’t recognize you, then you’ll have to talk to him about the Void, mention that you know someone who came back from it, and tell him your story. Then he’ll recognize you.

Alexander can give you a lot of background information on Nasrudin, Arronax, the Void, and St. Mannox. He’ll also mention that you should be careful who you speak to in the temple — that Gunther Willhelm might accept you as the Living One, that Hadrian the archeologist probably won’t, and that the high priest has declared you to be an imposter. Finally, if you ask Alexander about the history of the Panarii, he’ll suggest you speak with Gunther and Hadrian, and he’ll unlock the doors behind him.

Regardless:

After speaking to Gunther and Hadrian, and after discovering that St. Mannox and not Nasrudin is buried in Nasrudin’s tomb, you can come back to Alexander and tell him all the strange things you’ve learned. He’ll be furious, and he’ll ask you to look into the matter. You won’t get a quest for this in your notebook, but it’s one of the more rewarding episodes in the game, and so you should look into it. For more information on how to do this, see the St. Mannox entry in the Other Quests section.

3 – Hadrian

Hadrian is the church archeologist. He’ll tell you about the three objects on display behind him — the Finger of St. Mannox, the Eye of Kraka-tur, and a strange glass object — but he’ll decline your offer to buy them. You can also ask Hadrian about the remains of Nasrudin, and he’ll admit he’s never seen them. When you mention that you’d like to see them, he’ll tell you that there might be a way to get to them through the catacombs under the temple, and he’ll ask you to bring him back a sample of the skeleton should you find it. If you have at least four ranks of Persuasion and can convince Hadrian that you’re an archeologist, then he’ll be more explicit in his instructions for how to find the remains, and he’ll tell you a code word “crimstone” that will allow you to pass a certain door near the remains.

After visiting Nasrudin’s sarcophagus (#8), you can talk to Hadrian again to learn that the skull inside belongs to a human rather than an elf. Since the skeleton is also missing a finger, Hadrian will conjecture that the remains are really St. Mannox and not Nasrudin. This conversation is worth 6000 experience.

Note: To get the three objects on display in Hadrian’s room, you must figure out what happened to St. Mannox. See St. Mannox in the Other Quests section for details.

4 – Gunther Willhelm

Gunther is the church historian, and he’ll provide you with some useful information. He’ll tell you that he’s looking into some discrepancies in the Archaeon (#1), he’ll mention the names of the two elves who saw the ascension of St. Mannox — R’aan-Dar and K’an Hua — and he’ll let you know that Alexander (#2) is a direct descendent of St. Mannox. Also, when you ask Gunther about the remains of Nasrudin, you’ll find out that the person who discovered the remains was the same K’an Hua who witnessed the ascension.

After visiting Nasrudin’s sarcophagus (#8) and examining the lid, you can ask Gunther about the symbol and words you found. He won’t know about the symbol, but he’ll tell you the words mean “opposite” and “truth.” Furthermore, he’ll tell you about a new discrepancy in the Archaeon, that Nasrudin didn’t stop at the southern tip of the mainland (that is, Caladon) but instead crossed the waters to Thanatos.

5 – Guards

The guards won’t let you access Nasrudin’s tomb, and wearing the priest robes from the nearby room won’t fool them. However, if you can unlock the door without them noticing, they won’t mind if you walk right past them.

6 – High Priest’s Chamber

If you joined the dark elves:

You’ll find high priest K’an Hua in his chamber. The guards out front will let you in to see him once you’ve spoken to them. K’an Hua will tell you how Arronax was the most powerful of the elven council, and how the technological city of Vendigroth was jealous of his power and sought to destroy him, only to be destroyed itself by Arronax. Then K’an Hua will describe how Arronax was sent to the Void by the rest of the council, including his father Nasrudin. Finally, K’an Hua will ask you to travel to the ruins of Vendigroth to retrieve the Vendigroth Device, a machine capable of killing mages, so that it can be destroyed.

To help you on your quest, K’an Hua will mark the Gateway to the Wastes on your world map. He’ll also suggest you track down a halfling named Tollo Underhill, imprisoned in the Pit of Dernholm, and use him as a guide once you reach Vendigroth.

If you didn’t join the dark elves:

You’ll find the door to the high priest’s chamber locked, and nobody will be around.

7 – Door with Password

If Hadrian (#3) told you the password, then you’ll use it automatically when you click on the door. Otherwise, you’ll see the message “Knock no more times than three, if ye have not the key,” and you’ll have to bash open the door and fight the level 20 storm soldiers that appear. If you don’t want to deal with the door for some reason, then you can just use the alternate passage into the catacombs.

8 – Nasrudin’s Sarcophagus

When you click on the sarcophagus you’ll find a skull. Pick it up for Hadrian. After that, be sure to click on the lid to the sarcophagus. You’ll see a drawing of a dotted ring (the Ring of Brodgar) and two words.

Exits:

A. Exit back to Caladon.
B. Stairs connecting the temple to Nasrudin’s tomb.
C. Stairs connecting the catacombs to Nasrudin’s tomb.
D. Passage to the sewers.