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Comments
(OOC Post)
Stopping for today. Turns taken so far: 1772.
Wait, turns?
There goes any desire to play it.
(OOC Post)
It's an RPG released on the PC in 1985. Of course it's turn-based.
The series definitely stopped being turn-based at some point though. I think maybe with VII? I wouldn't really know for sure since this is the only one I've played.
Man.
I recognize the limitations of games at the time, but having played more modern games like TES and such, I think features such as all this would just annoy me.
Roleplaying seems to fit better with a blank slate that can do whatever, like in Skyrim, or a predefined character/slate like Shepard or the Warden that allows you some choice without forcing you onto a predetermined path.
I dunno. Blah.
(OOC Post)
I actually do agree with you; this game is just historically important because it marks the point when someone went "you know, it might be interesting if we made a game where you were expected to roleplay."
Apparently U5 is more morally complex.
[OOC]
1. Ultima IV is available for free on GOG.com.
2. Ultima IV's morality system, I hear, was developed in part in response to a backlash against role-playing games from moralistic conservative types back in the day. I've read that the virtues system didn't exist in previous Ultima games.
[/OOC]
(OOC Post)
Ah, that makes sense, given the whole "being an RPG in the '80s" thing.
Also, you don't have to say that you're Out-of-Character. I'm just doing that so people can distinguish when I'm posting a journal with when I'm just posting more quickly.
Taking the moongate, I arrived in the Deep Forest. It was thick, but thanks to my map, I was able to figure out which direction to proceed to reach Yew. Yew, it seems, is the city of justice.
A druid I found told me that the shrine was East, then North and that someone named Talfourd could tell me about the rune. Huh. This may be easier than I expected.
I found Talfourd, who seems to be the local judge. I asked him of the rune and he asked if I could honestly claim to be guilty of no crime, ever. Thinking on it, I said that I didn't suppose anyone could, and he told me to search the cells. I did so, and found the Rune of Justice. Makes sense, I suppose; a more thematically appropriate location than the end of a hallway, at least.
Now I just need to find the Mantra.
Met a man named Pinrod, who asked me if I was willing to fight for Justice. When I said yes, he told me that the druids chant the mantra, but wouldn't tell me what it was.
I searched the town and talked to several druids, but couldn't find anyone who would tell me the mantra.
Finally, I realized that the town walls contained a few forested areas and realized that some more people might be in there somewhere. Soon I came across a clearing and found two druids who were chanting "Beh, Beh." That must be the Mantra. Now to journey to the Shrine.
I've journeyed to the Shrine of Justice, but I don't feel that I've completed that portion of my quest. After meditating there, I heard a voice that told me not to kill non-evil beasts that only attacked me in hunger.
I suppose unlike with Compassion, I simply haven't had enough time to act with justice yet. I'll have to strive to uphold the virtue, then return here later. Now let's see if I can get back to that Moon Gate...
I'm now in Minoc, home of Tinkers and city of Sacrifice. I ran into a man who said he'd fled from the town of Skara Brae, whose Rune (that of Spirituality) has gone missing. That may cause me trouble later; good to know.
Also met Azure, who apparently carved the Runes himself (makes sense, given that the Quest of the Avatar is apparently a recent thing). He told me that his sister, Mischief, knows the location of the Rune of Sacrifice. I'll need to find her.
I found a poor house in Minoc and distributed some of my excess wealth from monster-killing to the beggars there. I also met a Tinker named Julia, who offered to join me when I told her I was on the Quest of the Avatar. I agreed, since travel in Britannia can be dangerous and I'm still a bit nervous about the whole Stygian Abyss thing I'll apparently have to do later. That place just doesn't sound pleasant.
Met a man named Damon. He told me that if I wanted to find the mantra of Sacrifice, it would be hidden in a bard's song. I soon found a bard singing a song about a raven, which crows "Cah, Cah." I guess that must be it. That was easy.
A tinker named Merida also told me that the Shrine of Sacrifice is on a lake to the East.
So far, so good. Now I just have to find the Rune.
Found Mischief hiding behind the smithy. I asked her about the Rune. She's thrown it into the Blacksmith's forge. Shit, this girl doesn't screw around.
Well, I have the Rune. Also, several severe burns.
Mischief said to see her again when I found it. When I did, she directed me to ask Alkerion in the poorhouse about a Stone. He said that the Stone of Sacrifice, which is orange, is "used in the altar rooms of love and courage."
You know, nobody actually told me anything about stones. Am I doing this wrong? I don't think so; otherwise the shrine of Compassion wouldn't have worked...well, for the time being, I'll just head to the shrine of Sacrifice. I haven't done much self-sacrificing in my time here, but if it's like the Shrine of Justice, it should give me some pointers at least.
Got ambushed by bridge trolls on the way to the Shrine. Toughest fight I've faced while I've been here. There were four of them; I'm really glad Julia was here to even the odds.
So, I meditated at the Shrine. It told me to...donate blood? Brittania has the technology to support that? Well, okay, I'll keep an eye out for opportunities for that. For now, onward to another town.
Arrived in Trinsic, city of honor and Paladins. Met a Paladin named Dupre, who was eager to join my quest.
A mage named Quix told me that a skeleton knows about the purple Stone of Honor. I'll...keep that in mind? People keep telling me about stones and I don't know what to do about them. I really hope I'm not screwing this up.
Found a weapon shop. Bought a sword, gave my axe to Julia and sold her mace. Hopefully that loadout will work better.
While I was there, a sailor told me that if I ever got a ship and needed a sextant, I should ask around in Jhelom.
A Paladin told me that the Mantra of Honor is "SUMM" and a man named Wintrhop knows where to find the Rune.
A Fighter, presumably on the same quest, told me that I could find the shrine to the Southwest, beyond some swamps.
Asked Winthrop about the Rune. He said to find a child named Terrin and asked him. Really? A child is the only one who knows where the Rune is? That's...odd.
I found Terrin hiding in the woods. He told me that the Rune was buried in the Southwest corner of town. There was a poison field around it, but I held my breath and dashed through as quickly as possible, and that seemed to protect me well enough.
So, got the Rune, got the Mantra. Have I behaved honorably during my time here? Well, I certainly haven't done anything dishonorable, though that may not be enough. I'll let the Shrine decide, I suppose.
The Shrine said I should focus on honorable quests. So stuff like tracking down the Skull of Mondain that guy told me about, I guess? I'll try when I get a chance.
Anyway, then I returned to Castle British because it was fairly nearby. Found a healer there who let me donate blood.
Then I went to Lord British to get healed and donated blood again.
Then I did it again eight more times.
I really wish I could get a photo of the look on the healer's face.
Anyway, while doing all this, I stumbled upon a secret door into the castle's water supply. There I met a shepherd who said that her town was destroyed for its pride. Apparently the island the ruins are on is at the coordinates lat-J'K", long-L'L". I'll check that out when I get a chance.
I suppose now I'll head back to the Shrine of Sacrifice and see if donating my body-mass in blood is sufficient to demonstrate understanding it.
(OOC Post)
I'm going to quit for a bit. Turns elapsed: 8807.
I traveled again to the Shrine of Sacrifice. Meditating there, I had another vision, which felt much like the one at the Shrine of Compassion. In this case, I simply saw a symbol. It looked like a sort of vertical line with a sort of ~ line across it. I'll have to remember it carefully; I feel it's important.
Hopped a Moongate to Skara Brae, city of Spirituality.
At the entrance to the town is a great silver Ankh that can speak. It says that it keeps the secret of the Rune, revealing it only to those who know the Mantra. Guess I'll have to find it.
A mage named Carlyle told me the formula for Magic Missile spells: one part ash. I don't think I can do magic myself, but I'll make a note of it.
A ranger named Mitre told me that according to a wizard's journal she found, the white stone (more talk of magic stones I don't know anything about...) has been removed from Hythloth (wherever that is) and that I should inquire at the tap in Trinsic. Of course I'd find out about this after leaving there. Oh, well.
A teacher named Romasco told me of the Abyss I'll have to enter at the end of my quest. He said that a word of passage is needed at its last gate. Apparently someone named Zair the Wise in a village called Paws can tell me what the word is.
A strange child sitting by the river was able to tell me the Mantra of Spirituality: "OM."
After I passed this information to the Ankh, it told me that the Rune of Spirituality is in the treasury of Britannia. Odd. Well, when I asked it of the Shrine, it would only tell me to "Enter the gate of full moons." Presumably that means the moongate exit for a full moon (which, oddly, isn't marked on my map) is the Shrine of Spirituality.
Well, now to head back to Britannia.
Well, I mistimed my moongate jump and wound up in Jhelom. Might as well stick around for a bit.
So far, all I've found out is that the red stone is on an altar somewhere called Destard.
Okay, so the Mantra of Valor is "RA" and the shrine is on the next island over. I get the feeling that I'll need a ship at some point, but I have no idea how to get one.
Okay, I've spoken to everyone I can find and nobody knows of the Rune. I should continue on to Britain and come back later.
Argh. Moongates are not cooperating with me right now. I'm at Moonglow, city of Honesty.
Information I've gathered here:
While searching for the Rune, I spoke to Mariah and found that she wished to go on a quest. So now I'm up to a party of four. She needed some alchemical reagents, so I purchased Ash and Silk from an old blind herb vendor.
Anyway, I can't actually reach the Shrine without a ship, so I'll just grab another moongate.
(OOC Post)
I have to go to work later, so I'll quit for now.
Moves thus far: 15052
Attempted to mix a Magic Missile. Apparently the guy who told me the formula was either lying or told me only part of it.
It occurred to me to consult the second tome I found when the Moongate first appeared to me. As it turns out, it was a guide to magic. So now I know the recipes for most spells. Excellent. Purchased a decent supply of every reagent in case I need them.
Reached Britain. Managed to locate a secret passage to the castle treasury...which is locked, of course. Hm.
Okay, I'm kind of stuck here, so I should probably go back over the virtues and figure out what I still need to do.
Honesty
Compassion -- successful meditation
Valor
Justice
Sacrifice -- successful meditation
Honor
Spirituality
Humility
I...have no idea where to start with this. Apparently that one town was destroyed for its pride, so...maybe I could go there? Though it is on an island. I have the coordinates, but no ship and no sextant. Perhaps I should just try to reach each moongate and figure out what to do from there.
Listing off the moongates, I realized that I had gone through all of the exits except waning crescent:
Well, now I know where to go.
Reached the Waning Crescent Moongate. It led to Magincia, town of Pride, which was destroyed by a demon and is now haunted by its former inhabitants.
Humility is the opposite of pride, of course, so I asked around.
A skeleton named Splot told me that if I wished to avoid its mistakes and live a life of humility, I could ask a snake of the rune and the stone. I'll...keep an eye out for talking snakes. I hope Splot isn't just crazy due to te whole horrible traumatic death thing.
A smaller ghost (I really, really, really hope it wasn't a kid) told me that someone named Heywood could tell me the Mantra of Humility. Heywood's ghost, naturally, told me to ask someone named Faultless.
A snake kept attacking me in the middle of town. I had to keep running away, since it's not evil. A ghost named Ruskin suggested that I try to question it just before it could strike at me.
Faultless told me that the mantra of Pride was "MUL" and that humility is pride's opposite.
So I guess therefore the humility mantra would be "LUM."
Managed to talk to the serpent. It said to ask of the black stone in the pub in Britain and to ask someone named Barren in a place called Paws about the Rune. I needed to go there anyway to ask about the words of passage into the abyss, so I guess I'm heading there next. I really, really hope its location is in the history book.
Well. That went bad very quickly.
In the swamps on the way out of Magincia, all four of us fell ill. Infact, Dupre, Mariah and I died. Julia, who I owe several drinks now, was able to drag us back to Lord British. He was able to resurrect me, but not Dupre or Mariah. I don't really have the grounding in magical theory to understand his explanation; something complicated about interdimensional travel. Anyway, now we need to buy actual resurrection spells from a healer for Dupre and Mariah. Which mostly means fighting monsters, since we aren't exactly savvy merchants or anything.
We got ambushed by some Ettins and Daemons. We barely managed to fend them off. A necromancer leading an army of skeletons proved an easier mark, and we were able to resurrect Dupre. We only have 15 gold left, though, so time for more fighting. And I haven't even had time to look into the Paws connections.