Difference between revisions of "UO Roleplay Lore"

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UO Roleplay Lore

Credit where credit is do - All that follows is a re-imagining of the Ultima single-player game experience without the focus on the Avatar. All of the concepts and ideas that follow are thanks to the very imaginative development teams of the Ultima series of games that started out back around 1980. And don't let us forget that while EA has literally thousands of people to please on paid accounts their development and maintenance of Ultima Online have helped make UO Roleplay possible.

((What follows is a very brief explanation of the ages leading up to the present for this shard. It constitutes IC knowledge for your characters if you so wish it. What you learn here is something your character could theoretically learn from spending a few minutes here or there talking to average people in the realm of Britannia. Some of this information could prove false in the long run as the way you are learning it is considered to be hearsay. What follows is popular belief.))

Shard Name - Fracture ((not necessarily commonplace knowledge))

Opening Time - Six months after the Siege of Serpent's Hold and the vanishing of the Lightbringers.

History of Fracture -

Chapter 1 - The Enchantress

After the fall of the terrible wizard Mondain there came a time of great troubles. All of the lands came under attack by droves of monsters that seemed bent on razing every last sign of civilization. All of the lands suffered, but none more greatly than the fief of Lord British. Try though he did to bring the varied lands under a single banner to ward the realm from the evil behind these monsters, the other regents would hear none of it. In their eyes Lord British was trying a subtle means of stealing their power and freedom. And so the lands drifted apart until one day not even the best of mariners in Britannia could rightly say how to reach the distant shores.

Finally the monarch tried to summon forth the Stranger who had come to Britannia's aid when all of the realm seemed about to fall under Mondain's spell. The calling did not work as hoped but nor did it go unanswered. Many, many great warriors and mages rose up and began to fight back the monsters. And many of these claimed to be from other worlds than Britannia. Nevertheless after many months of battles it was revealed that there was indeed purpose behind the carnage. An enchantress named Minax was seeking revenge for her fallen lover, Mondain. Driven mad with grief and rage and already as evil and powerful as her late master, Minax was attempting to flush out the Stranger so that she could exact her vengeance. But it was not the Stranger suffering for her grief and madness it was Britannia.

The many heroes fought hard and managed to force Minax into an uneasy peace with them. Though from time to time she still sent minions to raid Britannia from her hidden fortress known as Shadowguard. The newly founded Council of Mages of Moonglow warned Lord British and anyone who would listen that Minax had merely turned her attention to finding the Stranger's homeworld and when she had found him and taken her revenge she would return her full attentions to Britannia once more. Alas the Britannians and even the heroes among them were content with the hard won truce and so naught was done.

Supported by the Council of Mages an order of heroes known as the Lightbringers was devised and implemented, comprised almost entirely of adventurers that had experienced tragedy at the hands of Minax and her followers. It took years for them to acquire the necessary wealth and prestige but eventually they moved their base of operations to Britain and labored to gain the support of the monarch himself. Despairing for the return of the Stranger, Lord British eventually tasked the Lightbringers with ridding Britannia of the scourge of Minax. Thusly endorsed, the Lightbringers were quick to fan out across the realm searching for many things. Most remember them searching for the servants of the Enchantress, but a few recall that they were also looking for something called the Quicksword.

It was entirely unexpected but there came a day when the Lightbringers returned to Lord British and with them they brought the black heart of Minax. Lord British declared that the slaying of the bane of Britannia was worthy of eternal recognition and so named the day Quicklight after the adventurers and the sword they claimed was needed to defeat Minax. What became of Minax's heart, the Quicksword and just where and how the Lightbringers achieved this monumental victory is a matter of wide and often fantastic speculation. It is said that every bard of the land must have his or her own version of the story to recite or sing on Quicklight eve. The holiday falls three days after the Spring Equinox.

Chapter 2 - The Hellspawn

With the ending of Minax many decades passed in relative peace for Britannia. However, there were peculiar events that occurred which were not adequately explained. For instance, there were widespread rumors amongst sailors that a new island had arisen in the ocean but no one could approach it for some sort of magical protections. At another time a series of coordinated attacks on the cities and towns was carried out. Although the casualties were few and the attackers mostly mongrel creations from the times of Mondain, such as lizard men and orcs and so on, it was soon learned that the mystical moongates had all been frozen open, where previously they had only opened at the proper phases of the moons Trammel and Felucca.

These seemingly unrelated mysteries culminated in the disappearance of a ship's entire crew. When the vessel drifted aground the word EXODUS was found written in blood upon the deck. And thereafter began the war with Exodus, the spawn of Mondain and Minax.

The Lightbringers and many other powerful adventurers were put to amazing tests of not only their mettle but their minds. The battles that raged across Britannia made history. The mighty Council of Mages was at a loss, being unable to divine who this Exodus might be. At the time many believed that it was a cult, set to overthrow Lord British and therefore was no one single person. But it was finally revealed that the Hellspawn was the vile offspring of those ancient banes of Britannia: Mondain and Minax. Exodus was not on a war of vengeance, however. Exodus was prodding Britannia to find all of its weaknesses and had been doing so for years. After systematically drawing the Lightbringers and their allies to the far reaches of world in search of answers it launched a campaign through the static moongates, attacking everywhere at once. Entire towns were decimated and the survivors scattered into the wilds.

Lord British did not make a public affair of it but again he tried to summon the Stranger from another world, and again there was no answer. However, in regrouping, the Lightbringers took on many new members and they rethought their own strategies. It took months but headway was made and the battle was taken to the Isle of Fire*, the mysterious new island in the sea. After many, many casualties Exodus was revealed to be neither living nor unliving, but some form of construct given magical life. It's mobile extention, a huge, demonic automaton was destroyed and the core of its being was broken by the adventurers causing the castle in which it laired to fall down around them and the Isle of Fire to sink again beneath the waves.

The Great Tragedy, as the Exodus war has come to be known, refers specifically to the lost lives when Exodus attacked Britannia in force. It seems no family was without loss. Lord British chose not to commemorate either the day of the attack or the day of Exodus's fall with a holiday, perhaps feeling that dwelling on such terrors of the past may invite them back. Nevertheless, some folk will light candles or even watchfires near the moongates during the harvest month. The practice is called Harvest Vigil.

*The Isle of Fire, having sunk beneath the sea, is not the same island on which the Stygian Abyss, the Shrine of Humility and Hythloth exist. That is the Isle of the Avatar.

Chapter 3 - The Virtues

Twelve years ago Lord British gave a speech to the people in Britain and then had it written and sent to the corners of Britannia. In essence he worried for the spiritual value of his people coming out of such a dark age and into such peace and prosperity. To answer this need for community and values he set before the realm the Three Principles of Truth, Love and Courage and the Eight Virtues which make them up. He hinted that it might just be the key to the survival of all. In the weeks after his decree construction began upon eight shrines dedicated to each of the Virtues. For the Three Principles three old cornerstones of the realm which people could identify with were selected. There was the great college of learning in Moonglow: the Lycaeum for Truth. For Love the monks of Empath Abbey with their modest and compassionate lives of service to all Britannians was the perfect example. And lastly, Courage was embodied in the steadfast warriors of Serpent's Hold who had never once surrendered to any invasion or foe.

The monarch bade his people live and know the Virtues and if everyone might do that then each man, woman and child shall know harmony and happiness. But not all the people in Britannia were happy with this turn of events. In particular there was Lord British's long time friend and ally, Lord Blackthorn. Though they remained staunch friends, Blackthorn made it clear that he believes the Virtues are at once weak and constricting of personal freedoms. Another dissenter was a wizard from Moonglow known as Erstam. While not previously noteworthy he rallied many people under his banner of persecution and orchestrated a flight from the tyranny of Lord British. To where Erstam and his people fled is a mystery. They purchased boats, boarded them and sailed away from the Virtues and Lord British with curses on their tongues the whole way.

On the other hand most of the remaining towns rallied around one Virtue or another. Because the high druids hold court in Yew the town became the home of Justice while Jhelom, a favorite retreat for the warriors of Serpent's Hold, took on Valor. Only Humility fails to be represented by a town at this time. Likewise some of the great dungeons of the realm were explored and renamed by the Lightbringers to represent the antithesis of the Virtues and also to stand as provocative and daunting tests for the aspiring virtuous adventurers.

Despite all of the debate and oft lax adoption of the Virtues Lord British has maintained that it is his firm belief that the strength of the Virtues in Britannia is one and the same as the strength of Britannia. He has further declared that a person or people of truly Virtuous nature would be worthy of finding and reading from the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom which is, according to legends, hidden deep within the Stygian Abyss. It is said that the Book of Truth, the Candle of Love and the Bell of Courage along with Armor that is carefully guarded at the Lycaeum and a sword that is kept at Serpent's Hold will be needed to gain admittance to the Abyss. In addition there are rumors wildly flying about the world that there are special stones of colors representing the Virtues and runes bearing the symbols of the Virtues will be necessary for anything from just entering the shrines to leading a virtuous life, but such is probably wild speculation.

Chapter 4 - The Shadowtide

Four years ago Lord British went on a hunting expedition down into nearby Despise and never returned. Lord Blackthorn led a searching expedition with many Lightbringers and mages alike to find his old friend but though some of Lord British's personal guards were found killed by the monsters in those depths the monarch was not found. Lord Blackthorn had been acting as regent until new developments occurred.

Within a few weeks of the disappearance an army of ettins and ogres attacked Britain in the dead of night and even launched and assault on the walls of the castle. There were several reports of a lone, extremely tall individual in a black cloak or black robe observing the battle from a nearby hilltop. When the morning had come it was announced that Lord Blackthorn had been the target and that he was going into hiding and would continue to lead the realm from his secret court.

The attacks continued, however, and almost invariably while a tall black-robed figure looked on. This figure became known as the Shadowlord. The Lightbringers were at a loss and chose to scour the dungeons and other breeding grounds of these monsters hard, trying to reduce the populations. But whilst they were at pains to keep the minions down Blackthorn reaffirmed Lord British's decrees regarding the Virtues, turning them into laws. Laws with very dire consequences for failing to live up to the Virtues. Blackthorn claimed that it was the lax nature of the people which had brought this new time of troubles on them. He decreed that the lack of Virtue in the common man was to blame.

It is known that the Lightbringers came to odd ends with the strict Virtue laws enacted by Blackthorn. And that this debate proved a hindrance to any progress in finding out the secret of this Shadowlord. And then just about a year ago it came to a head when the Britannian Guard attempted to force the Council of Mages in Moonglow to betray the Lightbringers. When the Council refused some members were arrested and others went into hiding and finally the Lightbringers turned their sights on Lord Blackthorn. By that time only the fortified cities or the stronger island settlements remained under the control of Britannians, the rest being mainly deserted.

What happened next is a matter of great confusion. The Lightbringers had been mostly using Occlo as their base of operations, but only in secret. Nevertheless Blackthorn found out and sent ships loaded with Guardsmen to apprehend the adventurers. It was in vain, however, as the heroes had learned something important and had picked up camp and made for Serpent's Hold. There they, the Britannian Guard and the mysterious Shadowlord all converged at Serpent's Hold with the Lightbringers and inhabitants defending on two fronts against overwhelming odds.

-The Time of Uncertainty-

Today... It is unclear whether the Britannian Guard fought allied with the forces of the Shadowlord or from opposite sides. No one can rightly say what occurred at Serpent's Hold, although storms gathered around the island for days and high seas were reported as far away as Occlo, Jhelom and Trinsic. On the final day of storms all the corners of Britannia were subject to a series of quakes and tremors. And then all went quiet.

For the last several months there have been no attacks on settlements beyond the usual ill advised wandering monsters. All of the Lightbringers, many members of the Council of Mages and all of the Guardsmen that went to Serpent's Hold have vanished. The remainder of the Britannian Guard has fallen back to their normal routines for the towns and cities and have even let the Virtue laws go without enforcement. No new edicts or sightings of Lord Blackthorn have been made. No news of Lord British has surfaced. And the only certain good news is that no one has seen or heard anything of the black robed figure. Most of Britannia is recovering although the scars shall remain for ages yet.

As wounds heal now new stories are coming in on the shipping lanes. It's said that even Buccaneer's Den is alive with tales of new lands appearing on the seas. Indeed this is a time of adventure and uncertainty.

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