List of Ultima characters

Last updated

This is a list of significant or recurring characters in the Ultima series of computer games, indicating the games in which they appeared.

Contents

The Avatar and Companions

Character U0 U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 SE MD UU1 U7:BG UU2 U7:SI U8 U9 UO
The AvatarNoYes [lower-alpha 1] Yes [lower-alpha 1] Yes [lower-alpha 1] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesM/R
IoloNoYesYesYesJoinJoinJoinAEJ [lower-alpha 2] AE [lower-alpha 3] NoJoinYesJoinNoYesM/R
ShaminoNoYesNoYesJoinJoinJoinAEJ [lower-alpha 2] AEJ [lower-alpha 3] NoJoinNoJoinNoYesYes
DupreNoNoYesYesJoinJoinJoinAEJ [lower-alpha 2] AE [lower-alpha 3] NoJoinYesJoinNoYesYes
JaanaNoNoNoNoJoinJoinJoinNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoYesM/R
JuliaNoNoNoNoJoinJoinJoinNoNoNoJoinYesNoNoYesYes
KatrinaNoNoNoNoJoinJoinJoinNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoYesM/R
GeoffreyNoNoNoNoJoinJoinYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoYesYes
MariahNoNoNoNoJoinJoinYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesYes
GwennoNoYes [lower-alpha 4] Yes [lower-alpha 4] Yes [lower-alpha 4] Yes [lower-alpha 4] Join [lower-alpha 4] JoinNoNoNoM/RM/RJoinNoYesYes
SentriNoNoYesYesYesJoinJoinNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoM/RNo
GornNoNoNoNoNoJoinJoinNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
JohneNoNoNoNoNoJoinYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
MaxwellNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
ToshiNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
SadujNoNoNoNoNoJoin [lower-alpha 5] NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
SeggallionNoNoNoNoNoYesJoinYesAE [lower-alpha 6] NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Beh LemNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
BlaineNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
LeodonNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
LeonnaNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
SherryNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoYesM/RNoNoNoYes
SparkNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNo
TseramedNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNoNoNo
SelinaNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
BoydonNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
StefanoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
WilfredNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
PetraNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
SethysNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
AutomatonNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinNoNoNo
RavenNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYes [lower-alpha 7] No
SpectorNoNoNoNoNoNoNoJoinJoinNoNoNoNoNoNoYes

The Stranger and the Avatar

The early Ultima games referred to the player-protagonist as the Stranger, with an open game design that allowed players to complete quests through theft or violence. After the release of Ultima III , creator Richard Garriott received letters from parents that criticized the Ultima series for allowing immoral actions, such as theft or murder against peaceful citizens. Garriott also received criticism about supposed Satanic content, particularly the demonic nature of the antagonist of Ultima III who appeared on the game packaging. In The Official Book of Ultima, Shay Addams described Richard Garriott's thinking, that "if people were going to look for hidden meaning in his work when they didn't even exist, he would introduce ideas and symbols with meaning and significance he deemed worthwhile, to give them something they could really think about." [1] After watching a television show on Hinduism and the concept of the Avatar, Garriott was inspired to create his own system of eight Virtues for the next protagonist in Ultima IV, the Avatar. [2]

The Avatar makes their first appearance in the fourth Ultima game, where their goal is to follow the path of the Virtues, and retrieve the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the Great Stygian Abyss. [3] In the fifth game, the Avatar defeats a repressive regime in Britannia, and in the sixth, he brings peace between men and gargoyles. In Ultima VII and VIII , the Avatar battles the Guardian, finally destroying both himself and his foe in Ultima IX: Ascension .

With the exception of Ultima IX: Ascension, the player can choose the Avatar's name. Ultima VIII: Pagan fixed the Avatar's identity as a blond-haired blue-eyed male, while the other games allowed the player to select the Avatar's race, gender, and appearance. [4] In Ultima IV onward, the player activates the Avatar's speech using singular keywords, until Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld allowed full dialog. Ultima IX added digitized speech to accompany the text.

The Avatar was initially designed to be a blank slate through which players could reflect their own personality [5] The use of the word "avatar" in this manner is the first time that the word represented a concept defined by its modern virtual context. [6] The Avatar was one of the first times that a player could select the race and gender of the protagonist, and can be interpreted as a representative of the player, allowing them to reflect on their actions in the game. [7] However, the Avatar eventually evolved to take on a more specific appearance and character. [8]

The Eight Companions

The Eight Companions are the ones who join the Stranger in his quest to attain the Avatarhood in Ultima IV (in fact, only seven of them join the Stranger in the game; the one who has the same profession as the Stranger will not join the party, as that profession's role is fulfilled by the Stranger). They are special in the way that each of them originally practices a particular profession which connects with one of the eight virtues and the town of that virtue. They are the Avatar's first ever followers, and many of them join the Avatar again in subsequent adventures. Starting from Ultima IV, the Eight Companions appear in all the primary games of the series that are set in Britannia, i.e., Ultima IV, V, VI, VII (Part I) and IX, and many of them can be asked to join the Avatar's party in these games. Some of them take up other professions in later games.

Other companions

Apart from the Eight Companions, the Avatar may ask other characters to join his party starting from Ultima V. Some of these characters may have been appearing in the game series a number of times already, and some may join the Avatar in multiple games, while others may appear only once in the series. In some cases, minor NPCs join the party only for a very short period of time. Yet some of them may play a major role and be part of the party throughout the entire game.

Worlds of Ultima companions

Arch-enemies

Character U0 U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 SE MD UU1 U7:BG UU2 U7:SI U8 U9 UO
MondainMnlYesMnlMnlM/RM/RYes [lower-alpha 8] NoNoNoM/RM/RMnlMnlM/RM/R
MinaxNoNoYesMnlM/RMnlYes [lower-alpha 8] NoNoNoM/RM/RMnlMnlM/RYes
ExodusNoNoNoYesM/RMnlYes [lower-alpha 8] NoNoNoYesNoMnlMnlM/RYes
Lord BlackthornNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoM/RNoM/R [lower-alpha 9] MnlYesYes
The ShadowlordsNoNoNoNoNoYesMnlNoYesNoMnlNoNoNoM/RYes
The GuardianNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
BatlinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesNoM/RNo

Mondain

Mondain is a powerful wizard and the villain of Ultima I . He is born as the second son of Wolfgang, the king of the city-state of Akalabeth. Taught by his father, he masters basic magic, learning to control minor creatures, but as he doesn't show compassion, his father bans him from using magic. Mondain quickly retaliates by killing his father and stealing his gem, which he uses to create the "Gem of Immortality." As his power grows, he gains more control over the minions of darkness. He creates many strange, hybrid creatures in his dark laboratories, including minotaurs, lizardmen, orcs, and goblins. Mondain's castle is on an island called Terfin.

After being defeated by Lord British, he summons as many creatures as he can in order to conquer Sosaria. Due to the Gem of Immortality, Mondain cannot be killed in the present time, and he cannot be killed without destroying the gem. The Stranger from Another World uses a time machine to travel back in time 1000 years to when Mondain was first creating the gem. The Stranger manages to destroy Mondain's gem and slay him. Mondain's castle is destroyed in the process.

Shattering the Gem of Immortality forms the basis of two later games, Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny and Ultima Online . Three shards of the gem are found at the location of the sunken remnants of Terfin in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar , along with Mondain's skull. The shards later form the Shadowlords in Ultima V and are necessary to defeat them; the skull in Ultima IV kills all creatures within an area, also hurting the Avatar's karma. In Ultima Online, many different shards exist, all of which are parallel universes containing Britannia.

In Ultima Online and Ultima IX: Ascension , Mondain is depicted as bald with a goatee, bearing a resemblance to Ming the Merciless. In Ultima VI , however, he is depicted as having a full head of hair and no facial hair.

Minax

Minax, the beautiful but evil sorceress, is the main enemy of Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress as well as in Ultima Online .

Underestimated because of her youth, Minax was furious at the death of her tutor and revenge set itself within her dark heart. As her talent for magic and capacity of malevolence far exceeded Mondain's, Minax decided to take control of the evils of the world without the gem. Showing huge magical potential in her youth, Minax was recruited as an apprentice by Mondain. The young sorceress later fell in love with the wizard. She survived her paramour's death at the hands of the Stranger (the event of Ultima I ) and went into hiding. Ten years later, Minax is now older and very powerful, more than Mondain once was. Minax wants to avenge the death of Mondain; thus, after much research, she learns of the Stranger's homeworld. To destroy her "bane's homeworld", she uses dimensional and time gates to set up the Time of Legends, a place located at the Origin of Times. Thus she will be able to attack everybody living "after" this period in that reality without risking being killed like Mondain, since it is impossible to travel in time to before the Origin of Times. To ensure the Stranger would not interfere with her plans for vengeance, Minax invaded his homeworld of Earth. Once there, she used her dark powers to disturb the fabric of time and destroyed the planet. After the Stranger's death, she would be able to conquer Sosaria easily. Twenty years after the death of Mondain, Minax invaded Sosaria with her legions of Darkness.

In Ultima II, Lord British called for a hero to crush Minax's evil plans. The Stranger, having narrowly escaped the destruction of Earth, answered British's call. Minax's castle, named Shadowguard, could only be reached through timegates (similar to moongates in the later games); even then an enchanted ring was required to pass through the force fields inside. The war against Minax's vile legions was long and hard, but eventually the hero hunted down the sorceress, pursued her as she teleported throughout the castle, and destroyed her with the quicksword Enilno. With the dark energies released with the death of Minax, the lands of Sosaria changed once again, reforming into two continents: Sosaria proper and Ambrosia. But unbeknownst to all, Mondain and Minax had produced a progeny, Exodus - an entity that was neither man nor machine.

Exodus

Exodus is the eponymous villain of Ultima III: Exodus , the creation of both Mondain and Minax. The first sign of the character's appearance is a missing ship, which returns with the crew completely gone and the word "EXODUS" written in blood on the deck of the ship. Exodus then summons creatures to terrorize Sosaria from its castle on the Isle of Fire. Twenty years after Minax's death, the Stranger returns to Sosaria to destroy Exodus.

The passage through the Isle of Fire is blocked by the trapped Great Earth Serpent. The Stranger yells the correct magic word to set the serpent free; the Great Earth Serpent reappears to assist the Avatar in Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle , grateful for being freed. Castle Exodus is protected by various magical barriers, requiring the Stranger's party to obtain marks in order to safely pass through. In addition to various creatures that attack the party, the floor itself comes to life and also attacks.

Exodus is depicted as having a demonic appearance, however the Stranger realizes in the game that Exodus is not a normal living creature. Instead, Exodus is a magical computer that can only be destroyed by inserting the four cards of Love, Sol, Moons, and Death into its four slots. After destroying Exodus, the Isle of Fire sinks into the ocean until Ultima VII: The Black Gate .

In the Forge of Virtue expansion of Ultima VII, the Dark Core of Exodus remains on the island. In order to complete the quests for the add-on, the Avatar must banish the Dark Core into the Ethereal Void.

Lord Blackthorn

Lord Blackthorn becomes regent of Britannia when Lord British disappears while exploring the Underworld in Ultima V . Originally, he is a wise and just ruler, but he is twisted by the Shadowlords and becomes an oppressive tyrant. By the game's conclusion, Lord British is restored to his throne and Blackthorn sent to exile through a red moongate to an unknown world. Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle explains that his destination is the Serpent Isle. While on Serpent Isle, Blackthorn takes refuge among the Xenkan Monks and finds redemption, eventually joining their order. But Ultima IX diverges from this restoration of Lord Blackthorn having him leave the island before the Avatar arrives on the Serpent Island. Blackthorn returns again as a villain in Ultima IX: Ascension , this time as a servant of the Guardian, which again contradicts the restorative end on Ultima VII: Part Two: Serpent Isle. In the end Blackthorn perishes at the hand of Lord British after an extensive magical duel at the center of the Great Stygian Abyss, completely contradicting everything written prior to Ascension and after Ultima VII.

In Ultima Online , the timeline of which diverges from the main series after Ultima I , Blackthorn is the closest friend of Lord British, but at the same time he is also his fiercest enemy. He has been defending the peoples' individuality and freedom of belief by creating his own virtue, chaos. In this case, chaos does not represent the destructive force with which it is usually associated. He eventually forged an alliance with various dark magics and emerged as an evil force. After "surviving" through a few years, he was seemingly killed in an assault on the city of Yew. The evil form was later retconned into being an facsimile, and the original Lord Blackthorn became the king of Britannia. Lord Blackthorn was the virtual persona of Ultima Online project director Starr Long.

The Shadowlords

The Guardian

The Guardian is an alien being of immense power from another dimension. A large red humanoid, he is described as a conqueror of worlds. He first appears in Ultima VII: The Black Gate although for the majority of the game he is only a disembodied voice. Having conquered other worlds, he first attempts to conquer Britannia through his agent Batlin, the founder and leader of the Fellowship. The ultimate plan was to create a black moongate to allow the Guardian to physically enter Britannia and conquer it. The Avatar discovers the Guardian's plan and destroys the black moongate as the Guardian is attempting to enter.

One year later, in Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds , the Guardian attempted to conquer Britannia again by creating a blackrock dome around Castle Britannia and trapping the Avatar and his companions inside. The Guardian planned to send troops through a portal within the castle to conquer Britannia by killing its leaders first. The Avatar defeated the Guardian by destroying the portal and the dome. During the course of the game, the Avatar visited several worlds already conquered or destroyed by the Guardian.

It was revealed in Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle that the Guardian had a backup plan and had sent Batlin to the Serpent Isle to further his plans to conquer Britannia. Batlin attempts to betray the Guardian and is killed for his disloyalty but not before releasing the apocalyptic forces of the Banes of Chaos. The Avatar ends the threat by reuniting the Chaos, Order, and Balance Serpents. At the end of the game, the Avatar is captured by the Guardian.

In Ultima VIII: Pagan , the Guardian trapped the Avatar on Pagan, a world completely under the control of the Guardian. The Avatar eventually masters the different elemental magic of this world and returns to Britannia.

In Ultima IX: Ascension , it is learned that while the Avatar was trapped on Pagan, the Guardian has managed to erect eight huge columns throughout Britannia, in order to pull the two moons out of orbit, crashing into the planet and destroying it. The Avatar destroys the eight columns and defeats the Guardian. In the final battle, the Guardian reveals that he is the Avatar's other half, created from the evil part of the Avatar abandoned at the conclusion of Ultima IV . The Avatar defeats the Guardian by using the Armageddon spell to fuse the two of them into one new being.

Fans and chroniclers of the Ultima series have speculated that the Guardian was a satirical metaphor for Origin's parent company, Electronic Arts, which had been rumored to be stifling Richard Garriott's creative control over the last installments of the series. Supporting this theory is the fact that the three artifacts of the Guardian, first seen in Ultima VII: The Black Gate , are the sphere, the cube, and the tetrahedron, which together are an unmistakable representation of the EA logo during the early 1990s when EA's acquisition of Origin was complete and the games were developed. Furthermore, two members of the Fellowship in The Black Gate, Elizabeth and Abraham (E&A) provide dubious guidance for the Avatar throughout the game and are ultimately unmasked as evildoers. [10] The Guardian is described as the "Destroyer of Worlds", a possible reference to Origin's tagline which read "We create worlds".

Batlin

Other significant or recurring characters

Character U0 U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 SE MD UU1 U7:BG UU2 U7:SI U8 U9 UO
Lord BritishYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoAE [lower-alpha 10] NoYesYesYesNoYesYes
ChucklesNoNoYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoYesM/RNoNoM/RNo
The Time LordNoNoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoYesM/RMnlNoYesYes
The Great Earth SerpentNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
The GypsyNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNo
HawkwindNoNoNoMnlYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYes
SmithNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesNoYesNoYesNoM/RNo
WispsNoNoNoNoYes [lower-alpha 11] Yes [lower-alpha 11] YesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNoYes
NystulNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesYesNoM/RNoYes
Lord DraxinusomNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesM/RNoNoNoNo
ArcadionNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYesNoM/R
The King of the White DragonNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
Sir SimonNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Lady TessaNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
GwennethNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Dr. CatNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
SutekNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYes
Sin'VraalNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
NicodemusNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo [lower-alpha 12] No
RudyomNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
PenumbraNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
HoranceNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
NellNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNo
PattersonNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNo
NastassiaNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
ErstamNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
BeatrixNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
SamhayneNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNo
NelsonNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo

Lord British

Lord British is the ruler of Britannia, and an in-game personification of the creator of the series, Richard Garriott. [11] His name comes from a nickname given to him by friends at a computer camp, who felt that his way of saying "hello" was distinctly "British." The "Lord" prefix was added when he played the dungeon master in Dungeons & Dragons games. [12] Garriott released early games, such as Akalabeth , under the name and occasionally appeared in Ultima Online playing as Lord British. He is still known as Lord British even after his departure from Ultima maker Origin Systems: Garriott retained the trademark rights to the name Lord British with its associated symbols, and the character appeared in his latest (and now defunct) online game, Tabula Rasa as General British.

Lord British is a man who comes from Earth to Sosaria through a moongate. He adopts the name Cantabrigian British, taken from his birthplace, Cambridge in the United Kingdom, in favor of his old name. He quickly meets the evil wizard, Mondain, and does battle with him. After defeating him, British becomes known as "Champion of the White Light" and "Lord British, Protector of Akalabeth." Numerous plotlines and side-quests in the Ultima games revolve around one of Lord British's adventures or public works projects. He had a key role in founding the Museum, Conservatory, and innumerable institutions of the Britannian society. He also continuously provides healing, resurrection and other miscellaneous help for the Avatar.

One of the most famous characteristics of Lord British is that he is (supposedly) indestructible. In the past, he has been killed as a result of various glitches and exploits. [13] This fact has led to the naming of the "Lord British Postulate", a postulate that in any game if a creature is alive, someone somewhere will try to kill it. Most of the games in the series require the use of glitches to kill the character, and Garriott was less than pleased after learning that the character can be lured to be killed by cannon fire in Ultima III: Exodus . [14] During Ultima VII , an easter egg allows British to be killed by a falling gold plaque, which is a reference to an incident at the Origin building; a metal bar, where the magnet on the door attached to it, fell on Garriott's head, warranting a visit to the hospital. One of the characters says, "Yancey-Hausman will pay!" which is a reference to the owner and landlord of the building. [15] During Ultima Online's beta test, Garriott's character was killed by various bugs and an oversight on Garriott's part. [16] [17] This is considered to be a major event within online gaming, as it gave "players an unprecedented ability to change and influence the game." [18] [19] General British of Tabula Rasa was also killed during beta testing. [13] In Ultima IX: Ascension, Lord British may be killed by making a poisoned loaf of bread with the rat poison and the bread maker on Earth, and then by replacing his loaf of bread with it.

Chuckles

Chuckles is Lord British's court jester. He is often found in Castle Britannia. At times, he helps the Avatar, yet he is known to have led the Avatar to a wild goose chase. He is based on Chuck Bueche, one of the founders of Origin Systems.

The Time Lord

The Time Lord is a powerful being who ensures the smooth and orderly flow of time through space. In Ultima III, he reveals the correct placement of the Four Cards that would destroy Exodus. In Ultima VII, the Avatar must seek him out to learn more about the Fellowship. He helps the Avatar again in Ultima IX.

The Great Earth Serpent

The Great Earth Serpent is snatched by Exodus and forced to guard the Isle of Fire in Ultima III. The Great Earth Serpent helps the Avatar to restore balance to Serpent Isle in Ultima VII Part II.

The Gypsy

The Avatar visits the Gypsy to determine his or her strength in the virtues before taking on each quest of Ultima IV, V, VI and IX.

Hawkwind

Hawkwind is a renowned cartographer in Ultima III (as mentioned in the game manual). He has become Seer of Souls in Ultima IV and resides in Castle Britannia. He guides the Stranger in the path to Avatarhood. He appears again in Ultima IX, and more to his background is told.

Smith

A talking horse.

Wisps

Nystul

Lord Draxinusom

Arcadion

Other characters in the series

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 The Avatar was first introduced in Ultima IV. Later games in the series retconned the Avatar into the role of the player character in Ultima I and Ultima II, and one of the up to four player characters in Ultima III.
  2. 1 2 3 In Savage Empire, Iolo, Shamino and Dupre appear as their alter-egos Triolo, Shamuru and Dokray.
  3. 1 2 3 In Martian Dreams, Iolo, Shamino and Dupre appear as their alter-egos Dr. David Yellin, Richard Sherman and Major Greg Duprey.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gwenno's name went through many changes from Ultima I to V. In Ultima I and Ultima III, she is named "Gwino" and appears as the castle jester. In Ultima II, she is one of the two jesters enclosed within the walls labeled "Iolo and Gwen". In Ultima IV, she is called "Gweno" and appears again as a jester close to Iolo. In Ultima V, her name is finally settled as "Gwenno" and in its game manual "The Book of Lore", under the "Music" section, her and her husband's full names are also revealed, as the music and lyrics of the ballad "Stones" were written by Iolo FitzOwen and his wife Gwenllian Gwalch'gaeaf respectively.
  5. ↑ Saduj always betrays and attacks the Avatar's party in combat.
  6. ↑ In Martian Dreams, Segallion appears as Jack Segal.
  7. ↑ While Raven accompanies the Avatar from time to time to various destinations throughout Ultima IX , she does not come off as a companion who has joined the Avatar's party in an RPG sense. She does not help the Avatar in combat, nor does she have her own game statistics like a regular companion does. Her role in the game is only to serve as a plot character and a romantic interest to the Avatar.
  8. 1 2 3 In Ultima VI, Mondain, Minax, and Exodus appear as the embodiment of Gargoyle virtues.
  9. ↑ In Ultima VII Part 2, A book is found on Monk Isle describing Blackthorn's stay there. Fans also speculate that one of the monks may secretly be Blackthorn in disguise.
  10. ↑ In Martian Dreams, Lord British appears as the cowboy Dallas Garret.
  11. 1 2 Wisps appear as enemies in Ultima IV and Ultima V but during and after Ultima VI they are portrayed as a manifestation of a single entity, offering to trade information with the player.
  12. ↑ While Nico's full name is shown in the game files of Ultima IX as Nicodemus, he does not seem to be the same Nicodemus in previous Ultimas.

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Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the Ultima series of role-playing video games, released on April 16, 1992. In it, the player returns as The Avatar, a would-be paragon of moral virtue who faces down many dangers and deceptions in order to cleanse the medieval fantasy world of Britannia of assorted plots and schemes, monster infestations, and the undermining of crown authority.

<i>Ultima VIII: Pagan</i> 1994 video game

Ultima VIII: Pagan is a role-playing video game, released as the eighth part of the Ultima series. Released in 1994, it is a DOS-only title and is also the first game in the series to be rated M in North America. It was not as well-received as its predecessors, Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle.

<i>Ultima IX: Ascension</i> 1999 video game

Ultima IX: Ascension is the ninth and final part of the main series of the role-playing video game series Ultima. Developed by Origin Systems and published by Electronic Arts, Ultima IX was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows after years in development hell. Following the Avatar's escape from Pagan, he is transported back to Britannia for one final battle with the Guardian, who is increasingly ruining the physical and moral fabric of that land by the use of eight columns. The Avatar must fight his way to the runes of virtue found in each of the columns, and cleanse them in the shrines of Virtue, then face off against the Guardian himself.

<i>Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle</i> 1993 video game

Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle is a role-playing video game released in 1993 as part of the core Ultima series, its story beginning eighteen months after the conclusion of Ultima VII: The Black Gate. In Serpent Isle, the Avatar follows Batlin to the eponymous land called Serpent Isle, finding three city-states founded by those who left Britannia generations before and ancient ruins from a still-older lost civilization that was there long before them.

<i>Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds</i> 1993 first-person role-playing video game

Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds is a 1993 first-person role-playing video game developed by LookingGlass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. As the sequel to Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, the game is set in the Ultima fantasy universe. Players assume the role of the Avatar—the protagonist of the Ultima series—and adventure through multiple dimensions while seeking to prevent the evil Guardian from achieving world domination. Progression is largely nonlinear and the game allows for emergent gameplay.

David R. Watson (1948-) is a bowyer currently living in Austin, Texas. He has composed music for the Ultima series, including "Stones". Watson is a fencing master, a composer, and musician; and has a varied career of video game support including level designer in X-COM: Apocalypse, lead mission analyst in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and music composer in Ultima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portalarium</span> Defunct American video game developer

Portalarium, Inc. was a video game developer based in Austin, Texas that was formed in September 2009 by Richard Garriott, together with his longtime game industry partners, Dallas Snell and Fred Schmidt. Portalarium marks Richard Garriott's first return to the video game industry since the release of his 2007 title Tabula Rasa. The name "Portalarium," as well as the company's motto, "We take you there," are intended as a continuity and reference to Garriott's prior two companies' names and respective mottoes; Origin Systems, "We Create Worlds," and Destination Games, "We have arrived."

Denis Loubet is an artist who has worked on several pen-and-paper role-playing games and video games, including the MMORPG Ashen Empires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starr Long</span> American game developer

Starr McAuley Long is an American game developer, a long time collaborator with Richard Garriott at the companies Origin Systems (1992–2000), Destination Games (2000–2008), and Portalarium (2013–present). In 1997, Long was the original director of the early graphical multiplayer game Ultima Online, and from 2008–2013 he was executive producer at The Walt Disney Company, where he created and managed several educational games and apps for Club Penguin and the Disney Connected Learning platform. In early 2008, he was listed as one of the Top 20 Most Influential People in the MMO industry. In 2013, he again partnered with Garriott at Portalarium, where they began working on a new game Shroud of the Avatar.

References

  1. ↑ The Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams, p.39
  2. ↑ The Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams [ page needed ]
  3. ↑ My Avatar, My Self: Identity in Video Role-Playing Games By Zach Waggoner, Chapter notes, page 185
  4. ↑ Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market, by Sheri Graner Ray, page 27
  5. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (2 September 2008). "Players Wanted: Ultimate Fighting Game - Stars Feature at IGN". Uk.stars.ign.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  6. ↑ Zach Waggoner, My Avatar, My Self: Identity in Video Role-Playing Games, p.185
  7. ↑ Sheri Graner Ray, Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market, p.27
  8. ↑ Ten Best Heroes in Gaming Archived 2007-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Dungeons and desktops: the history of computer role-playing games, by Matt Barton, page 117
  10. ↑ The Conquest of Origin. "The Escapist". Escapistmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  11. ↑ EL33TONLINE: News - Richard Garriott in space! Archived 2009-06-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2008-10-15
  12. ↑ "Inside Ultima IV". Computer Gaming World . March 1986. pp. 18–21.
  13. 1 2 "PC Feature: The Many Deaths of Lord British". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. 2008-02-10. Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  14. ↑ The Official Book of Ultima page 30 and 31
  15. ↑ Joe Garrity (2003-07-27). "Dino's Ultima Page - Ultima 7 Guide - Fun - The Bar that killed the King". Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
  16. ↑ Hawkeye Pike. "Ultima Online Travelogues: Ultima Online Beta". Archived from the original on June 18, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-17.
  17. ↑ Bannister, Paul. "Ultima Online: Interview with Rainz, The Man Who Killed Lord British". Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  18. ↑ Brad King (2002-06-08). "Make Love, Not War Games". Wired.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  19. ↑ "Writing the history of virtual worlds". BBC News. 2008-08-15. Archived from the original on 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
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