A New Shard for a New Legacy
1/28/2022
Greetings,
We are pleased to announce that Publish 112 is now available for testing on TC1. Be sure to check out the Publish 112 notes and patch up your client to check out all the new additions!
See you in Britannia,
UO Team
Greetings Everyone,
We have reset all votes for the Custom Castle contest. All eligible houses have been added to the voting list by us so there is nothing you need to do. The voting dates have not changed so be sure to cast your vote for your favorite castle.
We apologize for all the confusion with the Castle Contest. This was an error on our part. We have brought TC1 down to fix the issue and it will return within 30 minutes. We appreciate your patience with us!
Good Luck,
UO Team
1/19/2022
Greetings Everyone,
We are aware there are still issues with entries missing from the master contest stone, if your house is not listed please list it on the forums. We are watching it closely and will add your house so it may be voted on.
The first round of voting ends on 1/25/2022
The Second round of voting starts on 1/25/2022.
Thank you,
UO Team
1/14/2022
Greetings Everyone,
There was an issue with the House Contest stone on TC1. The issue has since been resolved but we need to make sure that you make sure to enable your house is contest enabled before the 18th of January.
Good Luck!
UO Team
1/4/2022
Greetings and Happy New Year Britannia!
To kick off the year we invite Britannia’s most talented architects to enter their castle designs for consideration in the next contest!
Instructions on how to enter the contest on TC1 can be found by visiting the contest link above on UO.com!
Important Dates
Start Date Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:38:16 PM GMT-05:00
First Round of Voting Starts Tuesday, January 18, 2022 1:44:56 PM GMT-05:00
Second Round of Voting Starts Tuesday, January 25, 2022 1:44:56 PM GMT-05:00
End of Contest Friday, January 28, 2022 1:44:56 PM GMT-05:00
See you in Britannia,
UO Team
Happy Holidays Everyone,
It is that time again to do maintenance on all warehouses. At 8 am ET on 12/24/2021 we will be bringing down the log in servers, character transfers, housing, and the in game store. These will be down for approx. 2 hours at the most. If anything happens to delay this we will let you guys know as soon as possible.
From our UO family to yours, we wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2022!
Keep an eye out for Santa his Elf’s are a little sneaky!
UO Team
12/1/2021
Greetings,
We wish to offer seasons greetings to all Britannians! To celebrate the arrival of the holidays, artisans throughout the land have sharpened their froes and readied their hammers! The Artisan Festival kicks off this month and to celebrate crafters from Vesper’s very own The Busy Bees & The Colored Canvass are offering each Britannian a holiday gift! Holiday Batik & Candles come in a number of collectible varieties. Get yours today!
To welcome the season we also invite you enjoy,
Light in the Darkness
By EM Malachi
The winter had reached Vesper, and the months of snow had begun. Elidyr was lost in thought when he bumped into the young woman sitting on the bridge’s railing. She was watching the snowfall over the water and humming to herself.
When he apologized, the woman laughed and jumped down. “Don’t worry. You couldn’t have pushed me into the water. I’m Corinne.”
“My name is Elidyr. Sorry again.” Elidyr made a move to leave.
Corinne stretched her arms dramatically to block him. “Well, Elidyr, you’re too somber for this time of year. Where’s your holiday spirit?”
“These are troubled times.”
“That may be so. All times have their troubles, but what’s really bothering you?”
Elidyr sighed and started talking. He told her about the long years he was trapped and the people he missed. He spoke of what the wisps had shown him, from the rituals of the Dark Monks to Relvinian’s madness. He even shared his worries about the future. The more he spoke, the easier it was to continue.
When he finished, Elidyr realized his feet were frozen and he’d been talking for almost an hour. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to burden you. You must be cold.”
“I don’t get cold. Can I give you two pieces of advice?”
“Of course.”
“You aren’t alone. Your family and friends may be gone, but you’ve found others to help. Let them help you in return.”
“That makes sense. And the other piece of advice?
“Get some candles from the Busy Bee. The smell of vanilla on a cold winter night always cheers me up.” Corinne grinned.
Elidry laughed, feeling some of his worry lifted.
“Well, Elidyr, I must be going. I’m off to the Colored Canvas to get my portrait done. Maybe you’ll see me later. ”
*****
Later, Elidyr stopped by the Colored Canvas to see if Corinne was still sitting for the artist. As he considered some holiday prints, Elidyr saw that the famed Alberta Giacco was painting an arrangement of winter flowers instead. As he wandered closer, he noticed a finished portrait of Corinne on the wall, so he asked the clerk how the artist had finished so quickly.
The clerk gave a confused look. “That’s not a new piece. Corinne passed away a few years ago. Dear girl, but born with a weak heart.”
*****
Elidyr approached the cottage and knocked. When an old woman answered, he introduced himself. “I met your late daughter once and wanted to drop off a gift.”
The woman opened the package. “Vanilla candles! Corinne’s favorite. Thank you. Will you stay for dinner?”
“Thank you, I would like that.” Elidyr followed her inside. As she shut the door, Elidyr noticed someone had made snow ethereals along the path.
Greetings everyone,
Our UO family would like to wish each and everyone a very Happy and Safe holiday.
We have corrected a few issues as stated below:
Happy Holidays,
UO Team
11/16/2021
We are pleased to announce a new Champ Spawn in our continuing dynamic event series! For those brave enough, visit Yamandon Point in Tokuno to battle against mighty foes! We also invite you to enjoy the next piece in our fiction series, Blood Spawn.
by EM Malachi
Blood Spawn
Many years ago…
The gargoyle’s flesh had yellowed from the pickling brine used to preserve the body. Careful incisions covered the body, and the corpse’s heart and liver sat on a pair of scales. A heady incense filled the room to cover the smell of decay.
Relvinian pulled back the creature’s lip to examine its teeth. “A remarkable specimen. The ship captain just gave it to you?”
Turnius opened a notebook and started making notes. “I helped him many years ago, so he brings me oddities from his voyages. A storm forced his ship close to one of the southern islands. That’s where he found the creature.”
“Near Hythloth? So did you learn the secrets of demon magic from the autopsy?”
Turnius didn’t look up from his writing as he replied, “Gargoyles aren’t demons.”
“What do you mean? The physical attributes and magic are so similar.”
“Through a study of comparative anatomy, I have learned that this creature is as terrestrial and mortal as we are. It even had undigested fruits in its stomach.”
“That doesn’t explain their demonic magic.”
Turnius opened a book and handed it to Relvinian. “I believe that is a curse. These were transcribed from a cartouche found in Hythloth a decade ago. The gargoyles have their own written tongue separate from the demonic.”
Relvinian looked over the symbols on the page:
An-bal-sil-fer mon-le mur trak sadis esh an-in-tas. Lem-de crios in-flam-le ku daemon-ku bal. Tu de ben-kir asper-le kat-ku gargl. Lem est An-Kal-Lem.
“This means nothing to me. Could you translate?”
“Of course. Roughly, it says: The False Prophet led many to destruction. Their blood burned with unholy evil. Those of the Circle expelled these cursed gargoyles. They are the Banished.”
“If the gargoyles of Hythloth are cursed, does this mean there are other gargoyles somewhere?”
“I believe so. They would make an interesting control group. I could confirm that the demon curse is in the blood.”
Relvinian smiled. “Could I have a sample of this gargoyle’s blood?”
*****
The present…
To most people, it would have been just a blurry spot drifting through the night, but to Silamo, the comet on the edge of Sosaria’s solar system was the dream of a lifetime. The Moonglow telescope had allowed the gargoyle scholar to rediscover a comet that hadn’t been close to Sosaria in over ten millennia.
When the human astronomer Zachariah had invited Silamo to Moonglow to help solve a celestial mystery, Silamo saw an opportunity to find the comet An-ven Bal-sil.
Silamo was recording the current coordinates for the comet when he heard commotion on the other side of the telescope. He flew over the giant optics and saw several people in dark blue robes standing over an unconscious Zachariah.
Silamo dove at the group and made an arcane gesture. “You will not hurt my friend. Vas Zu!”
The sleep magic glinted off the group’s protective wards. Silamo was able to resist the reflection of his own spell, but not the successive blasts that tore him from the sky. When he crashed, the leader of the mages stepped forward. “We didn’t come for Zachariah, gargoyle.”
Relvinian drew a spike of blood spawn and pierced Silamo through the heart. “This is the first part of your rebirth.”
10/27/2021
We invite you to sit back and enjoy the next in our fiction series,
Demon’s Dinner
By EM Malachi
Many years ago…
When the neighbor’s black cat scratched him, Virgil Hassen knew he was going to have a bad day. The cook’s worries were confirmed when he fell in a mud puddle on the River’s Gate Bridge. Being an hour late for work on the day of an important dinner party didn’t help Virgil’s mood either.
Chef Tirel stopped chopping carrots and shook his head when Virgil arrived. “You’re very lucky. Lady Tessa made me promise not to fire you.”
“Lady Tessa is visiting?”
“She’s here for the dinner, but she visited us to drop off a few gifts.” Tirel made a show of his new knife.
Virgil looked around the kitchen. Pastry chef Lindley was smiling and wearing a scarf of Nujel’m lace. Milly, the dishwasher, had a porcelain doll tucked in her apron. His fellow kitchen porters had expensive liquor bottles by them on the counter tops. “Gifts, you say?”
“But I made her promise not to give you anything if I let you keep your job. A job you still need to do. Go turn the roast and keep an eye on it this time. Lord Blackthorn is here tonight, and he likes his beef as bloody as his politics.”
Virgil wanted to complain, but noticed that Tirel had already turned his attention to a pile of onions. As he walked past, Lindley looked up from decorating a pie. “Sorry, V, but Lady Tessa really was trying to help. I baked her wedding cake, you know. She was such a beautiful bride.”
After Virgil caught up on work, he asked George, the old porter, what the dinner was about. “The valet told me some mage is presenting his work to the King. The mage wants to use daemons as domestic servants.”
Chef Tirel banged a ladle against the side of the soup pot. “What’s the point? What’s next? Magic to make wagons pull themselves without horses? Utter rot!”
Milly asked a question from her wash pot. “Am I going to lose this job? I have a daughter I’d like to send to school when she’s a bit older. She already knows how to read.”
Lindley tried to reassure her friend. “You can’t wash dishes with big demon claws. I don’t think demons would be very good at making pies either. Their warm hands would melt the butter wrong. Now caramel, maybe.”
There was a roar and commotion from the throne room. Virgil asked, “Should we be worried?
Tirel continued to prepare plates. “It’s either going very well or very badly. Either way, we’ll need more wine for dessert. Go help George get more bottles from the wine cellar.”
As he was returning from the cellar, Virgil heard the screams before he saw the daemon. The huge beast of smoldering ash had Tirel impaled on its claws. George tried to intercede when it swiped at Milly, and the old porter was broken against the kitchen wall.
An apprentice mage charged into the room and threw a bolt of raw mana at the creature. Her spell injured the daemon, but it quickly returned to slaughtering the kitchen staff. As she tried to protect them, the mage missed the daemon’s tail, which wrapped around her throat. She managed to gurgle an apology before the fiend broke her neck.
As the daemon focused on him, Virgil found his senses. He hurled the crate of wine bottles at the daemon. The fiend laughed and let loose hellfire on the survivors.
Virgil’s world exploded into fire and pain.
*****
Now…
A pack of hellhounds charged the stranger when he entered the dungeon. The mage waved his hand, and the creatures crumbled to ash. An imp sentry fled to alert a greater daemon of Hythloth.
When the daemon arrived, the stranger gave an awkward bow and crooked smile, as if his entire flesh was new clothing. A burst of hellfire from the fiend hit feebly against the mage’s wards.
The man made no move to cast an offensive spell, waiting for the creature to approach to rend him. Then, he produced a rune of Blood Spawn and slammed it against the daemon. There was a sizzle of magic and flesh from the arcane brand. The daemon fell to the ground in agony.
The mage stood over the creature. “You are the first of my new servants. Go and tell them that Relvinian has returned, and none of you will disobey him again.”
10/4/2021
The Treasures of Demonic Forces event is now live on all shards!
Visit Dungeon Hythloth in Trammel to test your strength and courage against some of Britannia’s most demonic foes! Collect Artifacts of Demonic Forces and exchange them for powerful rewards!
Up for an even greater challenge? Test your monster bashing skills and PvP skills by visiting Hythloth in Felucca on Atlantic, Lake Superior, Pacific, Europa, Asuka, and Sakura!
Points from this event will expire on December 4, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.
See you in Britannia,
UO Team
9/28/2021
In preparation for the upcoming release of Treasures of the Demonic Hoard we invite you to sit back and enjoy, The Dark Path
Ancient magma pockets that birthed the Isle of Deeds smoldered under the ground, making the heat almost unbearable. Ash swirled around Reiya as she traced runes on the table with blood-stained hands. “We have lost the Path. Now we light a fire so the Guide can lead us back. In Flam Lor Vas Ort Por.”
“By our blood, the Wildfire burns. By this fire, the Path is lit. By the Path, the Guide returns. Por Grav Uus Flam.” Two other monks chanted in unison, as mana-infused blood dripped from their hands onto lanterns marked with the same runes. Light from the lanterns made the bound wraith tremble and screech.
Reiya frowned as one of the lantern flames wavered slightly. With her sisters gone, two lesser cultists had stepped into their roles. Their blood magic barely kept the spell going, and at least one of them would not survive the ritual. No matter the cost, the ritual needed to succeed.
It was during the second offering of blood that the Order of the Silver Serpent arrived. Half a dozen knights, led by the Lord of Serpent’s Hold himself, stormed into the cavern. No words were exchanged before they attacked. A knight brought a battle axe down on a Dark Monk, not just severing the person but also the arcane beacon beside him. The mix of blood, Stoneheart, and Wildfire ignited into a tempest of chaotic magic. The other cultist fared as poorly.
Reiya considered fleeing, but calmly rejected this option. She would complete what her sisters had died for. Placing both hands flat against the pentagram etched into the table, Reiya channeled the vortex of angry mana into the ritual. The remaining lantern split into dozens of phantom versions, and with a pop, each beacon entered the Ethereal Void.
The sound spooked a squire who threw his pike into the ritual table. Reiya lost control of the channeling. The overload burned at the monk’s flesh but also the wraith’s chains.
As the eldritch bonds fell away, the spirit reached out. Fingers of shadow wrapped around Reiya’s arm, and a skeletal mouth whispered to her, “Now you will know the horrors I’ve seen.”
The Dark Monk screamed as she was pulled through the stone into the magma below.
