Who or what is VARN?

[forbjok]

From what I understand, the "Tomb of VARN" dungeon is supposedly the ship in which the original humans arrived on Enroth, but what exactly is VARN?

Is it someone's name? Or a 4-letter acronym for something?
Anyone know?

[Tress]

VARN - Vehicular Astropod Research Nacelle
Cron from early mm - Central Research Observational Nacelle

[UndeadHalfOrc]

I'd add that the world of MM1 is Varn, and the world of MM2 is Cron.

[GreatEmerald]

Also, it's not *the* VARN, but *a* VARN. MM1 world is VARN-4, a kind of "satellite" of CRON (which isn't the only CRON in the universe as well).

Basically a VARN is any kind of a nacelle - a CRON is also a VARN (since it is vehicular, it is astropod, and it's a nacelle), but usually people call bigger VARNs by their original names, and when they say "VARN", they mean the smallest, most basic type of VARN, because it has no other name.

If you're not sure, a VARN is a flat spaceship, created by the Ancients to artificially sustain life. It's flat and square-shaped and consists of two sides, one of which can be uninhabited because of the lack of the sun (I'd say Darkside of XEEN got lucky since the nacelle spins sufficiently to sustain life on both sides). VARNs can be used to transport flora and fauna to other planets on a large scale (since web stations and gates can only be used by no more than a few objects at a time, and you need to build one in the destination before you can teleport there).
Also, check this out:
http://mightandmagic.wikia.com/wiki/VARN

[tolich]

It's flat and square-shaped and consists of two sides, one of which can be uninhabited because of the lack of the sun (I'd say Darkside of XEEN got lucky since the nacelle spins sufficiently to sustain life on both sides).

It's much alike floppy disk.

IIRC, Worlds of VARN, of CRON, and of XEEN are not square, but rather rectangular, 4x6 areas of 16x16 cells.

[GreatEmerald]

Yes, rectangular... I keep forgetting that word :\

[UndeadHalfOrc]

What about Terra? Nobody mentioned it so far.

Actually MM3 always seem like the dark horse of the original Corak/Sheltem "pentalogy". It's also the only one where your party could not export to a subsequent game, or be imported from a previous game.

[Avonu]

VARNs and CRONs are not flat or square. After all VARNs are what created Isles of Terra... and these isles don't have regular shape. Only XEEN seems to have regular shape... before its side unite that is.

And Terra is Sheltem's planet when all problems with this Guardian started.

[GreatEmerald]

But VARN-4 is rectangular, as you can see from the map, same goes with CRON (except that CRON has contact with the Planes). And I never knew Isles were not the surface of the planet... But from the size of it, couldn't they be a single VARN, just shattered to pieces? I don't remember if more than one VARN was or wasn't mentioned in the logs over in WoX, though...

[Avonu]

It's game desing Emerald, so don't be surprise that VARN4 and CRON have rectangular shape. Same with Terra, Enroth, Antagarich, Jadame and Chedian. Each (in-game) land has rectangular shape.
But even Xeen is not 100% rectangular- if you visit it corners you will see they are some kind of rounds instead of right angle.

And yes, islands of Terra are created from various VARNs. Before they landed, Terra had no land.

[Talin_Trollbane]

yes, Terra is a finished planet under the guidance of a appointed guardian, Sheltem.

[Avonu]

Sorry, but what do you mean under "finished planet"? If you are talking about Xeen like planet, then no. Terra was not created by Ancients (same as Enroth and Axeoth), it was only colonized by them.

[Talin_Trollbane]

Sorry, but what do you mean under "finished planet"? If you are talking about Xeen like planet, then no. Terra was not created by Ancients (same as Enroth and Axeoth), it was only colonized by them.

i meant a Planet, ya know? round ball in space?

and maybe not all of it was created by the Ancients but it was seeded by them, so it is a "finished planet".

[Corlagon]

and maybe not all of it was created by the Ancients

Definitely not all of it - just everything that isn't oceanic. The creation of the planet itself is down to the Elementals.

I don't really get "finished planet" either - it's a natural world, not artificial like the XEEN, ergo it was finished as soon as it was spawned.

[GreatEmerald]

I guess he meant colonised?.. Or maybe "finished" as in "through", dead?

[Talin_Trollbane]

I guess he meant colonised?.. Or maybe "finished" as in "through", dead?

guys, GUYS..."Finished" as in its completed, AKA no more seeding or colonizing needed.

dont make me take off my belt.

[Secret_Holder]

Seeing as this is the place to ask.

Why did the Enrothians build a pyramid on top of the ship?

[Avonu]

And why Terrians build more then one?
IMO it's part of ship.

[Secret_Holder]

This'll probably sound stupid, but I haven't played MM3.
Is there a pyramid on Terra?

[Avonu]

No, there isn't. There ARE.
Look at Terra map and search them all:



All of them are entrances to seedship beneath Terra. And you need special keys - Hologram Sequencing Cards - to enter these piramids.

Also home of Xeen Guardian in MM5 is pyramid.