The Summoning Circle in Magus's Castle

[L]

When you look at the gold-only picture, the middle part looks like the ocean palace.  Perhaps he's using the same design that was used to access Lavos' energy, but he put his own twist to it: so instead of taking energy out of Lavos' pocket dimension, he takes Lavos himself out of it.  One of Belthasar's talking 'tabs' says that "Lavos existed under the planet's surface draining its energy until he was momentarily summoned away by a wizard in 600 AD". 

[Radox Redux]

Hmmm. Great find. Does anyone know how far Magus' lair is from where the Ocean Palace sat? Assuming the symbolism was meant as a way of summoning Lavos, perhaps it functioned as a compass that would point to wear the temproal barrier between them was the thinnest. This would make sense concidering that when Magus' spell goes wrong, he accidentaly opens a vortex to another time. In this case I'd expect that the two locations would match. We can't relly compare it to the Black Omen, since I think it moves after it rises.... Hmmm. May have to replay the game.

[Glennleo]

Hmmm. Great find. Does anyone know how far Magus' lair is from where the Ocean Palace sat? Assuming the symbolism was meant as a way of summoning Lavos, perhaps it functioned as a compass that would point to wear the temproal barrier between them was the thinnest. This would make sense concidering that when Magus' spell goes wrong, he accidentaly opens a vortex to another time. In this case I'd expect that the two locations would match. We can't relly compare it to the Black Omen, since I think it moves after it rises.... Hmmm. May have to replay the game.

I never noticed it before, but they seem to be in the exact same location. Great find!
Well technically they aren't perfectly matching, but close enough in my book.

[AuraTwilight]

Wow. That IS pretty kickass.

[Radox Redux]

Wow. I know I asked the question, but I didn't think that they would actually be that close to one another. I think Spector's observations may actually be legit. Awesome. Cheers Glennleo.

[Chrono'99]

Yes, they're both located above Lavos' "burrow". It's where Lavos emerges in 1,999 AD and where Death Peak is in 2,300 AD (and perhaps where he landed in Prehistory too, but it's hard to tell because of the continental shifts).

[Radical_Dreamer]

Makes sense, but still very interesting. I hadn't thought of that before.

[Kyronea]

We have to question why he would have the compass, if that's what it is, at the top of his castle. Surely he would at least place it in the basement somewhere if it was an attempt to focus on Lavos' position, to aid him in getting as close as he could with the technology available.

[Radox Redux]

We have to question why he would have the compass, if that's what it is, at the top of his castle. Surely he would at least place it in the basement somewhere if it was an attempt to focus on Lavos' position, to aid him in getting as close as he could with the technology available.

Common sense. If you attempt a spell to summon Lavos, and you have to position yourself over Lavos' burrow to do it. Then you make sure you're well outta the way. Magus learnt the mistake of getting too close to Lavos back in the ocean palace. Hmmm. This brings to mind the dragon statue. Perhaps magus could somehow turn it real, and use it as a means of evasion from Lavos' initial attack?

Also , who's to say that Magus' base doesn't work as some kind of amplifier? Ever wondered why it was deep in the ground like that?

[Mad Bear]

We have to question why he would have the compass, if that's what it is, at the top of his castle. Surely he would at least place it in the basement somewhere if it was an attempt to focus on Lavos' position, to aid him in getting as close as he could with the technology available.

Perhaps it didn't need to be close to Lavos to zero-in on his location.  Perhaps just the fact that it was in such a precise locale with regard to Lavos was enough.  I tend to think the circle was to help him focus on where Lavos was and apply his own vast magical energies to opening a conduit to that place where he (Lavos) was.

[Chrono'99]

We have to question why he would have the compass, if that's what it is, at the top of his castle. Surely he would at least place it in the basement somewhere if it was an attempt to focus on Lavos' position, to aid him in getting as close as he could with the technology available.

We don't even know if the summoning room is at the top of the castle. The party actually takes a very long downward stairs before reaching Magus.

[Kyronea]

And yet the ending with Frog taking on Magus and his generals seems to suggest otherwise. Still, you might be right: after all, they were teleported, and they did go down stairs. This might, in fact, explain why Magus' Castle was destroyed in the end, because an explosion/whatever exactly Lavos did in the basement would harm the castle far more than an explosion at the top.

[Radox Redux]

We have to question why he would have the compass, if that's what it is, at the top of his castle. Surely he would at least place it in the basement somewhere if it was an attempt to focus on Lavos' position, to aid him in getting as close as he could with the technology available.

We don't even know if the summoning room is at the top of the castle. The party actually takes a very long downward stairs before reaching Magus.

I still say he wouldn't be dumb enough to make the same mistake as Zeal did. Especially after the amount of years that he must've spent preparing for the moment that he would summon Lavos. Zeal built the ocean palce as close as possible to Lavos, the very fact that Magus' Lair is a tower is indicative of him trying to avoid the same fate. I think it's implied that the Magus room is at the top of the castle by Frog's ending. Once again, I propose that the dragon could be used as a possible means of escaping from his lairs inevitable destruction. The damage caused by the strange vortex would probably still be enough to destroy the castle.

[AuraTwilight]

But it CAN'T be at the top of the castle due to the staircase.

And half of Magus's character theme is that, in his lust for vengeance, he's losing himself and making all the same mistakes his mom did.

[Radox Redux]

But it CAN'T be at the top of the castle due to the staircase.

And half of Magus's character theme is that, in his lust for vengeance, he's losing himself and making all the same mistakes his mom did.

If you think so. I personally always thought he was smarter than that. He was consumed, sure. But I don't think that he would make the same mistakes. And the staircase prooves nothing, since you climb the outside of the tower before it. If anything it furthur prooves my point, since that staircase would make an ideal escape route straight to the roof.