Canonical References to other Westwood Games

When designing settings for their games, Westwood Studios frequently built upon existing intellectual properties, both original and licensed. For instance: Lands of Lore was introduced when Westwood broke away from their Eye of the Beholder series based on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons properties, Dune II inspired further development of RTS games which led to the Command & Conquer universe, and The Legend of Kyrandia series was originally pitched to Sierra On-Line as a compliment to their King's Quest games.

One creative artifact of Westwood's cumulative approach to worldbuilding appears to be that in-game elements and motifs are shared across the different game series. Additionally, Rick Gush served as lead writer and Rick Parks as lead artist on fantasy Westwood games during this period, which may have contributed to overlap in storytelling and in-game universes. Alternatively, the following examples may simply be considered company Easter Eggs.

Investigative Gemology

Stone of Basar in the Draracle's Halls of Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny

In the Draracle's Halls, an exhibit of a massive faceted gem is described as the last Stone of Basar, which was one of several stones distributed throughout the early kingdom. Such gemstones are used as funnel magic from various lands. Other examples of magical stones cited are the Kyragem and the Nodules of Mirvar. The Kyragem is a reference to the Kyragem of The Legend of Kyrandia series, which is of similar appearance and also used as a way of drawing magical power from the natural world.

Kyragem at the endgame of The Legend of Kyrandia

Tiberium

General Velkar of the Tiberium army, Guardians of Destiny

In real-world English usage, the linguistic root tiber is derived from a river in Roman antiquity. It is also used as a storytelling archetype in various Westwood Studios games.

At the Huline Monastery in Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny, the groundskeeper Brother Morgan (performed by Gary Marshal) reveals to Luther that he was once known as General Velkar of the Tiberium Forces.

In the Commands & Conquer universe, Tiberium is a natural crystalline resources, used by extraterrestials to terraform distant planets. Like the gemstones of Lands of Lore and The Legend of Kyrandia, Tiberium may be considered yet another example of esoteric worldly power harnessed through gemstones, and can be employed for benevolent or evil purposes. In Command & Conquer, the origin of the word "Tiberium" is itself ambiguous, with one faction attributing its name to the Tiber river, and the other claiming to have named it for the Roman Emporer Tiberius. Although the name is never attributed to a Tiberium army as mentioned in Guardians of Destiny, the branching timelines of the Command & Conquer universe employ alternate histories liberally.

Tiberium crystals from the Command & Conquer universe

Behind the scenes, it is speculated that Tiberium was a gameplay element designed as a substitute for the valuable resource "spice" used in the Dune universe. Early in development, the sequel to Dune II was originally titled Command & Conquer: Fortress of Stone, and possessed a medieval setting. It would have been released in 1993, contemporaneously with Lands of Lore and The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate. Instead, Command & Conquer debuted two years later in 1995 with a near-future warfare setting.

Additionally, one creature type encountered in the City of the Ancient are called Visceroids, which also routinely appear throughout the Command and Conquer series. Visceroids are uncontrolled, irregular mutations that sometimes form when organic life dies to Tiberium exposure.

Hand of Fate

Hand of Fate spell in Lands of Lore: Throne of Chaos

The Hand of Fate as it appears in the Kyrandia series

In Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos, Hand of Fate is a spell that willfully manipulates a giant hand for self-defense. This hand can shove, pound, and crush a victim in its grasp. In The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate (released the same year as The Throne of Chaos) a Hand of Fate controlled by a magician is the chief antagonist of the story, and can kill the protagonist Zanthia by tossing, pounding, and crushing her during a boss sequence. Other magically-constructed disembodied appendages are also referenced in Hand of Fate, including a giant foot.

In The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate, the player can find a letter from one “Professor Jones” to Scotia recommending that she share her archeological interest in the Nether Mask with King Richard of Gladstone, suggesting their collaboration. There was no follow-up to this offer in either final game.