A guest article written by Ashley Darland
Ashley has been on a quest to add to the lists of the pop culture references I have missed. In this area of Polaris, she noticed some similarities to one of her favorite games, Skyrim. Rather than rewrite her insights, I’ll let her words speak for themselves. Take it away Ashley.
Upon entering the Forlorn Tayg, I was met with an icy wasteland. I could almost feel the frigid air chap my lips and the snow gather on my (very fashionable) boots. I immediately began to think of another, sort of popular chilly fantasy game. It’s pretty underground, so you probably haven’t heard of it: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
I ventured further on and noticed a couple of mobs: bully mammoths and tundra trolls. Interesting, am I suggesting the bully mammoths are reminiscent of the mammoths that roam Skyrim’s landscape? Yes. Am I also suggesting that the tundra trolls are reminiscent of the frost trolls that harass me on my way to High Hrothgar? Also yes. But let’s move on; afterall, why WOULDN’T a tundra have mammoths and trolls? Probably a coincidence.
So I move on, carelessly prancing around, picking up my ore, stone block and frost flowers as I go and… HOLD THE PHONE. Interesting, The Forgotten Vale, the area of Skyrim this area looks suspiciously most like, has ore deposits, quarried stone deposits, and a unique variant of the mountain flower. But I mean, how many NEW crafting supplies can games come up with, probably another coincidence.
I continue my quest to seek out the creepy witch Baba Yaga. I finally discover her house, looks a bit the worse for wear if you ask me. Plus, there are these weird snowmen everywhere. They’re just kind of standing there, frozen, menacingly. I’m instructed by Serana, oh sorry, Mellori (that revelation is for later) to search for the spooky witch in her sculpture garden. I head in and BAM, snowmen, previously inert, spring to life to attack! What a unique and interesting idea the devs had… EXCEPT IT’S NOT. That’s right, I’ve got another one. As you’re traversing through the final area of the Forgotten Vale, on your way to find the Arch-Curate, you’re assailed by previously frozen solid Falmer, who bust out of their icy form, just to greet you, the Dragonborn!
Then, I find Baba Yaga in her sculpture garden at last. Three sculptures sitting on pedestals behind her. Curious, indeed. I start to beat up Baba Yaga (totally didn’t get my butt whooped and call for help) and lo and behold, her silly little statues come to life and aide her… kind of like a GARGOYLE would you say? Are there gargoyles in Skyrim too, Ashley, you might ask: believe it or not, there are!
So, I beat her up, unaided, bravely, and she tells me to meet her in her creaky little shack, located in the “Veiled Vale.” Veiled Vale, Forgotten Vale, need I even discuss this one? She sends me on my way to the River of Frozen Tears (a potential reference to the Oblivion quest wherein you must find Garridan’s Frozen Tears) with Serana, sorry Mellori. Well, I guess we can discuss this one now. Mellori looks just like Serana, down to the braids and everything. She’s even just as annoying. Plus, her mommy is a magician, Serana’s mommy is a magician. The shoe fits, is all I’m saying.
Serana and I head in and are met with mobs of ice elves, similar again to the Falmer we find in the Forgotten Vale. Further along, we meet up with some yetis, similar in design (and smell) to the frost giants we see in Skyrim’s DLC.
Our quest eventually brings us to ‘The Sunless Shrine’ dungeon, which looks very similar to the final area of the Forgotten Vale. We are seeking the Auroracle, a powerful and old entity. Sounds an awful lot like the Elder Scrolls deity Au-riel, the creator of the bow you are seeking in the Dawnguard DLC. Also, it’s interesting to note that, sorry for the spoilers, Arch-Curate Vulthyr, holder of the bow, is a vampire, as is Mellori, sorry Serana; this makes ‘the Sunless Shrine’ seem like a reference to the vampires’ dislike of the sun.
Inside the shrine, you meet Vigilant Perun, a reference, I believe to the Vigilants of Stendarr: the group of vampire hunters who were wiped out by the vampires in the beginning of the DLC and whose surviving members trickled into the Dawnguard faction to continue the fight.
Finally, at the end of the instance, Serana/Mellori and I reached the Auroracle, an interesting entity who appears to be made up of energy, similar in appearance and sound to the Augur of Dunlain, also from Skyrim, though from the College of Winterhold quest line, not Dawnguard.
Thank you Ashley for collecting these Skyrim references in Polaris.
The current list of all the (known) Polaris 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.
All Wizard101 images are from Wizard101, and are copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment
All Skyrim images are copyright Bethesda Game Studios.
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
Vulcan Stev's Database 