The latest Stygian Sentinel update from OtherSide Entertainment reveals the role that voice actor Stephen Russell will bring to life in Underworld Ascendant:

We announced back during the Kickstarter that Looking Glass’ fan favorite voice talent Stephen Russell and Terri (System Shock’s SHODAN) Brosius would take part in Underworld Ascendant, but haven’t revealed either of their roles… until now.

Stephen will play the role of Cabirus, the character responsible for the establishing the fallen utopia in Ultima Underworld before his mysterious, untimely death. While you’ve never encountered Cabirus directly before, you’ve certainly seen the huge impact he had on The Stygian Abyss. In Underworld Ascendant you’ll come face-to-face with him… somehow… and learn about the secret pre-history of the series, directly from its enigmatic founder.

Fans of Looking Glass Studios’ games should be familiar with Mr. Russell:

You likely know Stephen from such roles as Garrett in Looking Glass’ Thief: The Dark Project and Thief II: The Metal Age and Codsworth and Nick (!!!) Valentine from Bethesda’s Fallout series. He’s also set to play Corvo in Arkane’s Dishonored II, which we’re looking forward to playing this coming November.

This news, if nothing else, confirms that Sir Cabirus will be making a (probably significant) appearance in Underworld Ascendant, although what form he will take when doing so is still undisclosed. Cabirus, you will recall, died before the events of Ultima Underworld, so it’s unlikely that he’ll appear as a living being. One notes, too, that Tyball will be returning as a lich; perhaps Cabirus will appear as something similar.

In terms of development progress, meanwhile, the update also informs us that the OtherSide team have been working on the next vertical slice of the game, which concerns the second level of the Abyss, and a neutral area called Marcaul.