Arcanum

Arcanum may refer to:

Arcana may refer to:

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (more commonly known as Arcanum) is a 2001 role-playing video game developed by Troika Games and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was released in North America and Europe in August 2001 for Microsoft Windows. Debuting at fourth position on NPD Intelect's best-seller list, it was Troika's first game and also their best-selling title with over 234,000 copies sold and with revenues of US$8.8 million.

The story takes place on the continent of Arcanum, which is a fantasy setting that is in the process of an industrial revolution. The story begins with the crash of the zeppelin IFS Zephyr, of which the protagonist is the only survivor, which leads them throughout the land in search of answers. The game employs an isometric perspective and features an open game world where the protagonist can travel unhindered.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Arcanum consists of traveling through the game world, visiting locations and interacting with the local inhabitants, typically in real-time. Occasionally, inhabitants will require the player's assistance in various tasks, which the player may choose to solve in order to acquire special items, experience points, or new followers. Many quests offer multiple solutions for the player, depending on their playing style, which may consist of combat, persuasion, thievery, or bribery. Ultimately, players will encounter hostile opponents (if such encounters are not avoided using stealth or diplomacy), in which case they and the player will engage in combat, which can be real-time or turn-based.

Arcanum (album)

Arcanum (spelled a͡rcānˈum on the cover) was a 1996 album released by Acoustic Alchemy, their penultimate release on the GRP jazz label.

The production on this album differed from normal; the band recorded the disc live at Pinewood Film Studios, London, UK. They enlisted the help of the London Metropolitan Orchestra to provide backing.

The album contained twelve tracks, three of which were new ("Columbia", "Chance Meeting" and "Something She Said"), and the others re-recordings of tracks selected from the band's discography to this point.

Footage from some of the recording of this album appears on the GRP video release, "Best Kept Secret" (VHS 1998, DVD 2006).

Track listing

References

Sofa

Sofa or SOFA may refer to:

Music

Sofa (warrior)

Sofa is a Mandinka term for slave soldiers who served in the army of the Mali Empire. Sofas would also fight, in varying capacities, in the armies of later Mandé states such as the Bamana and Wassoulou empires.

Etymology

The word sofa translates into English as "father of the horse" ("so" means horse, and "fa" means "father") or "guardian of the horse". This term stems from the original function of the sofa as a caretaker for the horse or horses of Mandinka cavalry commanders called "farari".

Sofa in the Mandinka empire of Mali

Sofas make their first appearance in oral and written records during the formation of the Mali Empire. Sofas were recruited from "jonow" (slaves) captured in battle or bought from afar. They could be depended on in most instances for obedience, since their livelihood depended entirely on their master. The institution of slavery in the Mali Empire heavily rewarded loyalty, and jonow could rise to civil or military positions of prominence. Jonow became part of their master's clan, and were often freed after a certain amount of years.

Couch

A couch or sofa is a piece of furniture for seating two or more people in the form of a bench, with or without armrests, that is partially or entirely upholstered, and often fitted with springs and tailored cushions. Although a couch is used primarily for seating, it may be used for reclining and napping.

In homes, couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den, sitting room or the lounge. They are also found in hotels, lobbies of commercial offices, waiting rooms, and some bars.

The term couch is used in North America and Australia, whilst the term sofa is generally used in the United Kingdom. The word originated in Middle English from the Old French noun couche, which derived from the verb meaning "to lie down". It originally denoted an item of furniture for lying or sleeping on, somewhat like a chaise longue, but now refers to sofas in general.

Other terms which can be synonymous with the above definition are settee, chesterfield, divan, davenport, lounge, and canapé. The word sofa is from Turkish derived from the Arabic word suffa for "wool", originating in the Aramaic word sippa for "mat". The word settee comes from the Old English word, "setl", which was used to describe long benches with high backs and arms, but is now generally used to describe upholstered seating.