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Many current players of Ultima Online have been playing since the
game was in Beta testing. Back then there were only two shards: Atlantic
and Central. After the beta phase was completed, Three production shards
were open to the public: Atlantic, Pacific, and Great Lakes. Many events
happened during the beta phase of Ultima Online, but are not considered
part of "actual" history.
The Middle Era
From 25 to 300
Mondain was defeated in the year 25, and the start of Ultima Online
to the public is considered to be the year 300. Thats a 275 year gap in
which many things could have occurred. I refer to that span of time as
"the Middle Era." I have made every effort to put these events in chronological
order, but you may find one or two that are out of place.
Some time after the year 25 a disaster afflicted Sosaria. Probably magical
in nature, it changed the geography of the land forming the world which
we know today as Britannia.
Lord Britishes popularity soars after the defeat of Mondain, no doubt due to his summoning of the Stranger.
Lord Blackthorn raises through the ranks, and becomes a trusted advisor,
and friend to Lord British.
The Time Lord comes to Lord British, telling him that he is only a mirror
of the real Lord British. Furthermore, the Time Lord explains the 8 virtues
to Lord British, citing this as the only way to reunite the shards.
Lord British spreads word of the virtues through the land, but Lord
Blackthorn disagrees with them. British orders shrines to the 8 virtues
constructed. With permission from Lord British, Blackthorn invents his
own virtue, Chaos, and builds a shrine for it.
The citizens of Britannia paid no heed to the virtues, and continued
to live as they did before. Lord British created an incentive to follow
the virtues by creating the Order Guard. The Order Guard was to defend
the virtues and correct moral injustices. To counter the Order Guard, Lord
Blackthorn created the Chaos Guard. The Chaos Guard was to defend the citizens
freedom of choice. Neither of these great organizations fulfills that purpose,
however. Ever since their inception, they warred amongst themselves, and
the people still continued to live as they did before.
A man named Crawworth was born to a young guard and his wife in Paws.
Together, they raised him in the ways of the virtues. Before Crawworth
had reached maturity, his father was killed and his mother was so distraught
that she abandoned him.
The parents of a fellow named Mordread are killed in a hart stampede. Not unusual, as they were herders. Mordread is transformed into a Liche in a Magical accident Mordread the Liche destroys Rhysart's family A man named Hebban Olla is born. He is either born evil, or turned evil by circumstances unknown. The City of Paws is attacked and utterly destroyed by a suprise orc
raid. The forces of Trinsic travel to Paws to offer any assistance possible,
but it is too late. A kind warrior by the name of Hartham discovers that
Crawworth has survived. He takes a liking to the boy, and adopts Crawworth
as his own son.
The father of two twins: Lathiari and Kyrnia dies in a storm at sea.
The children become obsessed with the decay of their fathers corpse, and
death in general.
Crawworth becomes Lord Crawworth, and Captain of the Guard of Trinsic.
Lathiari and Kyrnia continue to research death, corpses, and the mysteries
of the life force. One day after a trip, their mother became ill and shortly
died thereafter. Devestated that all their research could not save their
mother, they encased her in a block of ice and set about searching for
a means to revive her.
The research of Lathiari and Kyrnia took on a new momentum, and eventually
they were able to restore life to the body of their departed mother. They
had not, however saved their mother from death, they had merely created
an undead monster with their Mothers body. They killed the zombie, and
cut her body apart. They then burned all the pieces, save the eyes, which
they fashioned into Necklaces.
The demented experiments of Lathiari and Kyrnia continued with fallen
soldiers. Their peers in the Mages guild demanded they stop the experimentation,
and shunned them. They moved from their home of Magincia, to Yew. there
they discovered the lost art of Necromancy. Their experiments in Necromancy
always needed more subjects, and more and more innocent people became victims
to that experimentation. Eventually, word of the experiments reaches Lord
British himself, who was appalled at the ordeal. He set a mandate banishing
them from Britannia forever. When a party arrived to serve the mandate,
Lathiari and Kyrnia could not be found. The party left their house alone,
afraid of what might be inside. Hebban Olla commits unknown evil acts, but is defeated, killed, and magically
sealed within his own tomb by a man named Dar-Salaam. |