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Archaeology Lore Fail: Zanik

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Deltaslug

Deltaslug

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tl;dr - Devs shouldn't have used Zanik for the Warforge.

Zanik is the Archaeology consultant/overseer of the Warforge Digsite.
The primary reason is that she is the last "expert" on the Warforge given that Bandos had buried it long ago and few (if any) of the goblins that fought in it ever got out. (Essentially: no witnesses, no stories.)
She is the "expert" because she was the chosen commander of Bandos and had access to his memories and such. Thus, on some level, knew about.
This is the only redeeming reason why she was picked.

Why shouldn't she have been picked?
Player choices became meaningless.
During The Mighty Fall's Kyzaj Tournament, at the end, Zanik suffers one of 2 fates:
- you kill her yourself
- she dies slowly due to the last energy influence of Bandos leaving her as she leads a group of Bandosians to Yubiusk in an effort to redefine what it means to be Bandosian
tttttthhhhhheeeeeennnnnn
During the events of Nomad's Elegy, she is part of your afterlife task force to stop Nomad.
At the end, Zanik is given an option to stay in the afterlife (but one of her choosing) or go back to the mortal realm (for a time) but must become the custodian of the Soul Obelisk.
So she should either be:
- still dead
- stuck at Soul Wars with rarely a chance to go out ... let alone be the overseer of a digsite

So. What could also be done?

04-Oct-2020 20:32:30

Deltaslug

Deltaslug

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In short. Jagex took the "easy way out".

Another approach would have been a little more convoluted ... but:
- still could have been dependent on Zanik, just posthumously
- involved other characters

Starting point: The Journals of Zanik about Bandos
Yes, Zanik had memories of Bandos. This was established in lore.
She was also alive for a number of years.
Simply: Zanik would have had time to write what she would have remembered about Bandosian history from Bandos's point of view.
Some of this may have been her own free will. Some of this may have been in a trance like state where she had no control. Others could have been when she was effectively asleep and sleepwriting.
Whichever way, you get a couple of journals.
After she dies after The Mighty Falls, her journals end up in the hands of her Cave Goblin friends and then to the local library/museum of the city. Not that any of the Cave Goblin archaeologists necessarily read them (for a time).

04-Oct-2020 20:32:37 - Last edited on 04-Oct-2020 20:38:29 by Deltaslug

Deltaslug

Deltaslug

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Zarador's Exchange Program
With the tournament coming to an end, and 'peace' established between the Bandosians and the Dorgeshuun, Zarador decides to invite a few Dorgeshuun historians and scholars to a sit down to ... talk. (really, just talk.)
In some regards, he wants to show the Dorgeshuun the history of Bandos and show why it might work.
He also wants to understand the history of the Dorgeshuun better since he does have a concern that the Bandosians may follow the path the Dorgeshuun took and wants to know the early signs. Also to perhaps see if Zanik was the last ember of something in their past or the spark for a future.
After months of prodding, the Dorgeshuun reluctantly send several historians to briefly review what few scrolls and texts the Bandosians have while spending quite a bit of time talking about their own history. Zarador, with uncharacteristic patience, listens to them.
One of the Dorgeshuun historians copies many of the journals and texts and scrolls, mostly to appease the giant Ourg and say they need time to study it later.
Among the text are scattered references to the Warforge that even Zarador wasn't aware of.

04-Oct-2020 20:32:41 - Last edited on 04-Oct-2020 20:53:37 by Deltaslug

Deltaslug

Deltaslug

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Archaeology Assistant Grubfoot
With the time sprites coming into play, Grubfoot gets a vision of the Warforge. Also, visions of the locations of some ghosts of goblins that were there.
Grubfoot goes about the world to help these ghosts move on to the afterlife after they give him their first hand accounts of the Warforge (or at least as much as they are willing to divulge).
Grubfoot gives these to the Dorgeshuun archaeologists and historians for them to figure out what to do with.

04-Oct-2020 20:32:47 - Last edited on 04-Oct-2020 20:52:52 by Deltaslug

Deltaslug

Deltaslug

Posts: 32,671 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The Reluctant Dorgeshuun Archaeology Overseer
With the Warforge being discovered, the remaining Bandosians are ... confused ... about it.
Zarador reaches out to the Dorgeshuun if they have any information about.
Reluctantly, but in the spirit of 'peace', the Dorgeshuun at least offer to "browse their records" (though in the hope they don't find anything.)
Alas, they find the journals by Zanik, Grubfoot, and the own historians.
For the sake of research, one leading Dorgeshuun Archaeologist becomes a Subject Matter Expert, with enough to at least desire to explain it to the Bandosians and then go back to the city.
The Dorgeshuun Archaeologist however is appalled by the methods the Bandosians are doing at the site to "excavate" and tries to start teaching them that as well.
Alas, Zarador and the Archaeology Guild effectively appoint the Dorgeshuun Archaeologist as the digsite overseer. (In part they know the most, and in part, they know proper methods.)

The Dorgeshuun Archaeologist will gladly work for free for any offsite research studies since they can use that as an excuse to get away for extended periods of time.

04-Oct-2020 20:32:52 - Last edited on 04-Oct-2020 20:52:33 by Deltaslug

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