Ignus Ferric – (Coincidentally) Grinning Ignus from Magic the Gathering and Scotty from Star Trek
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Ignus_Ferric
https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=513581
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty_(Star_Trek)
Thank you to Ashley D. for your help with this entry.
Ignus Ferric is the Arcanum’s resident Fire scholar. Ignus also sells Legendary Weapon Recipes and Arcanum NPC Statue Recipes. Ignus is a Dwarf from the Empyrean island of Athanor.
In addition to being the Arcanum’s foremost authority on the Legendary Forge, Ignus is one of the chief builders of the Spiral Ark that takes Pork, Beans, and Sparck to Empyrea. Ignus Ferric is a Latin term that means Fire Iron.
Addendum 6/24/2024 – My inside source from KI read the article and had this to say:
Gotta say, [Ingus Ferric is] not really based on the things you listed. If anything, he is sort of close to Gimli from LotR, but really more the fantasy trope of Dwarves being master smiths. His name was just putting together a “Fire” related word with a blacksmith related word. (Hence the coincidental similar name from Magic the Gathering.)
The Grinning Ingus is a fire elemental from Magic the Gathering. It was added to the game in the Strixhaven: School of Mages expansion pack.
Addendum continued – Ingus was not originally intended for the character to have a Scottish accent, but the [voice] actor heard “fantast dwarf” and just ran with it. We were too pressed for time to fight him on it. It ended up being a good voice, so we just went with it. We certainly had no idea Ignus Ferric’s look and accent were going to cause problems when we started concepting for Empyrea. If you look closely, you’ll notice he looks nothing like the Dwarves on Athanor. Any likeness to Scotty came a few years later once we stared down the path of incorporating a lot of Star Trek references into the Empyrea story. Happy coincidence, I guess you’d say. (So what Ashley and I have reported is coincidental and NOT the original inspiration)
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott is a fictional character in the science fiction franchise Star Trek. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, 10 Star Trek films, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Relics”, and in numerous books, comics, and video games.
Simon Pegg has assumed the character and appeared in the Star Trek reboot (2009) and its sequels, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016). In 2023, a young version of Scotty appeared in the final episode of the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, portrayed by Martin Quinn. Later in 2023, an animated version of Scotty was played by Carlos Alazraqui in a Very Short Treks episode.
Scotty, spent part of his life in Aberdeen, Scotland. He wears Clan Scott’s tartan as part of his dress uniform. Doohan claimed to have based Scotty’s accent on an Aberdeen accent he once heard. During the events of Star Trek, Scotty holds the rank of lieutenant commander and serves as the Enterprise’s second officer and “miracle worker” chief engineer, commanding the ship and recording its log when both Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) are not aboard. Scotty’s technical knowledge and skill allow him to devise unconventional and effective last-minute solutions to dire problems. Scotty’s identity is strongly connected to the Enterprise itself, and the character often takes a paternal attitude toward the ship. He is frequently the liaison between Captain Kirk’s ambitious tactical plans and what is technically feasible in the realm of the starship’s capabilities. Scotty asserts in the TNG episode “Relics” that he “never wanted to be anything else but an engineer”. In addition to his engineering abilities, Scotty is often shown to be a fairly heavy drinker but is only shown drunk twice, in “By Any Other Name” and “Relics”.
The current list of all the (known) Empyrea references can be found here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Ignus Ferric image is from Wizard101, and copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
The Grinning Ignus image is copyright Wizards of the Coast.
The “Scotty” composite image is borrowed from the Nerdist and is copyright CBS Studios / Paramount Global
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
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