The UO team is proud to announce that all shards will soon have their own Casino located on Fire Island in Trammel.

           “Let me in, I wanna play!”
 

            
“No more pandering!”
 

     Attention to all beings across the Shards! The 5th match of the Cross Shard Treasure Hunting Competition is upon us!

     The year ended on an exciting note, as the Purple Llamas of the Great Lakes shard defeated the two-time champion Blue Beetles of Catskills. But while the new year brings a new champion, it also has seen it’s first challenger – Legends! Please continue reading for their written challenge, as well as Champion’s response.

When: Friday, January 20th
Time: 9pm EST, 8pm Central
Location: Nujel’m Chessboard, Trammel
Shard: Test Center

Come cheer on your favorite team! Moongates will be provided from New Haven bank.

We will turn on housing decay today. Please take the necessary steps to secure your house before its turned back on. Please note that even if your account has been inactive for more than 90 days, you still have 5 days after housing decay is back, before your house is gone.

After your have reactivated your account, it can take up to 24 hours for your house to be refreshed and display the correct status.

If want to log in but you haven’t had the chance to link your account in the Account Center yet, please check the Account Center Management Page guide and the How to link my Accounts guide. You can always contact ‘support@ultimaonline.com’ if you encounter a problem.

See you in-game!

Issue 3

WORLD NEWS

Golem Experiment Falls Flat

A year’s worth of dedication in perfecting the mechanical shepherd has been rife with numerous failures, says controversial tinker and inventor, Harvey Croblink. “Mind you, the mechanical golem though a modern marvel, is pretty much simple-minded in it’s tasks. It lacks the gentler touch,” says Harvey. Improvements in the golem’s intelligence and problem-solving capabilities seem to have made matters worse, despite the machine’s ability to understand more complex commands. An order to herd sheep to another corral, might result in the golem hurling the poor creatures in a catapult fashion 100 furlongs through the air. Bystanders were horrified to witness the metal colossus forcefully plowing a new born spring lamb through the narrow fenceposts when a request was made to retrieve any lost strays that had wandered off. Animal trainers have stated that the sheep are so traumatized at this point, that when they see the metal monster, they tend to try to hide under the nearest sheep and it is not uncommon for cowering sheep to inadvertantly be crushed under a massive sheep-pile in the interests of self-preservation. Last but not least are incidents where the golem will attempt to forcefully feed a malnurished sheep until it bursts. So it’s back to the drawing board for our famous tinker. Better luck with your next promising invention.

Cosmetologists Celibrate End to Animal Testing

Both cosmetologists and animal activists have something to cheer about since the move from animal to monster testing. Britannia’s hair dressers and body sculptors have long considered the possibilities; gazers with long silky lashes and shaded eyelids, Rotten corpses with perfect complection and sensuous lips, and the coveted project of the two headed ettin dying for a makeover. It is just a dream come true for those who have long petitioned for the dual platforms of greater compassion towards animals and a striving for greater beauty. And it is likely that neither group will be disappointed. Even at this time, the Sosarian Hairdresser Faction is looking to hire able bodied hunters to collect monsters for ethically questionable lipstick and blush experiments.
 
Local Man Rises Up in Society

It is a Special Day for local Yew resident, Toby who has moved up in rank from Village Idiot to Village Imbecile. Toby attributes his success to hard work and persistence and some other thing that he can’t remember; but it was something important. Toby stresses that he is not going to let his new found celebrity status go to his head, but he does have ambitions of graduating to Village Moron someday. “I’ve been getting a lot of attention,” Toby says. “I’m not anyone special. I put my shirt on like everyone else; one leg at a time!” Toby says the key to progress is consistency. Each day he wakes up in a random place; sometimes in the sheep pen, on a neighbor’s roof, or in an empty barrel at the mill. He then knocks door to door until someone gives him breakfast followed by a refreshing dip in the bay and a quick run through town in the nude to dry off. On most days, he spends his time pelting locals with dirt clods or making new friends with strangers then fling dirt clods at them. On wash day, Toby makes it a point to pull the fresh linens off the clotheslines and throw dirt clods on them. Locals testify that he used to “try to help” the monks at the abbey which would usually end with them cudgelling him. “They asked me not to come around anymore because I keep making them break their vows of silence,” Toby stated. “But, I didn’t get where I am today by giving up.”
 

FISHERMEN SPOOKED BY RECENT PHENOMENA

An alarming number of veteran fishermen and mariners have become increasingly concerned about the recent spate of unusual incidents and have convened to compare notes to determine which actions need to be taken, if necessary. Accounts range from the disappearances of lobster traps to the numerous breached and capsized vessels littering the waterways. Experienced angler, Loy Hargil related this narrative. “I was in me dinghy, setting out me traps early one mornin’, as I have occassion to do. Had nine..err, ten traps set, and after a time, it got all dead quiet. No seabirds, nothin’. Suddenly, the hackles on the back of me neck were standin’ up. There was a suddden ebb, and all me traps were sucked down all at once. Had they been secured fast to the boat, methinks it twood have taken me down with it.” Ultimately, no conclusions have been drawn on what is behind these bizarre occurrences.
 

Play in the Yew Crypts and You Will Die
 
If you are looking to play hide and seek in the old marble sarcophagi in Yew crypts, think again! Million of adventurers every year think its a good idea to play hide and seek in the old marble sarcophagi in the crypts. Imagine! You and your friends have had a few drinks and are looking for a good time, just playing around in the crypts. Suddenly, someone says, “Hey, let’s play hide and seek” and it seems like a good idea at the time. Pretty soon, you find yourself crawling into a sarcophagus thinking, “They’ll never find me in here.” Moments later, an alarm goes off in the wraith room, and the wraiths are moving in to suck out your life force. Meanwhile, you are struggling to get out, but the lid snaps closed and is far too heavy to lift. You frantically search for a unlatching mechanism but there are none; the handles are on the outside. What will you do? What will you do! Any wise adventurer with a little bit of crypt-smarts knows that sarcophagi might be a fun word to say, but they are not so fun to play in. There are a lot of better ways of having a good time. You can banks sit with your friends, escort local town citizens, or have a contest to see who can pick up the most reagents from the ground. So, be inventive and stay away from the crypts…or you will die.
 
This has been a public service message from Sarcoffaco. We keep your loved ones fresh..
 
Make It Happen With the Captain

Do you feel angry, disenfranchancised, or just want to stick it to ‘the man’? Then reach for the longer burning fish oil prized by anarchists everywhere. Captain DeCamps Fish Oil is ideal for any serious activist who wants to lob incendiaries at the pigs or just anyone that happens to annoy them, because DeCamps has a much lower flash point. This means there is lesser risk of accidental self-inflicted injury before you can lob your favorite flaming mixture at its intended target. So whether you are out there on the streets to make a statement or you’re just angry at just about everything, make sure you remember to take the Captain with you. Be sure to look at the back label of our bottles for helpful easy-to-make incendiary mixtures that the whole family can get together to create.
 
Bulk Up, Mister!

Are you tired of being a 7 stone weakling? Are you tired of Tomb thieves kicking treasure sand in your face? Do you hear the snickering of bank-sitters behind your back when you take off your armor? Then maybe it’s time to enroll in the Charles Atlas of Britannia’s +25 powerscroll performance builder. The powerscoll performance builder made me such a perfect specimen of manhood, that I don’t even bother wearing more than a loincloth when I go out anymore. You will get instant results naturally, and have the body that will draw the eyes of ladies and female impersonators alike. So act now! Write to Most Developed Man 125 Luna Circle Malas and why you want to change your life. Please, also include a check for 17 million gold.
 

Activists Looks for Like Minded Individuals

The L.A.M.P. Foundation is looking for like minded-individuals willing to dedicate their lives to a greater cause. We are working together to make a difference in the community through, Littering, Arson, Mayhem and Protesting. If you think you may have the skills to be an asset to LAMP, ask yourself this:
Litterers:
Are you a free-form or structered litterer?
How much time during the day do you dedicate to sending your special/sacred message?
Do you believe in quantity or quality?
Arsonists:
Do you believe in a spiritual communion with the fire elementals when you do your holy work?
Do you enjoy touching the flames or do they still bother you?
Do you have any problems with rope-burn?
 
Mayhemers:
How is that working out for you?
Are you a power-maniac or artistic visionary?
How is your relationship with your mom?
Protesters:
Do you have a lot of of free time on your hands?
If you said YES to all of these questions, then you may be the one who we’ve been looking for. Please rant openly at any tavern or inn following a long night of drinking and we’ll contact you personally to see if you have what to takes to be one of us.
 

Dear Tabi,
I am a widower with the sweetest child a father can ask for. Recently, she got herself into the family way, and I was upset,as you can imagine. But, when her baby was born with 2 heads, I knew that it must have been sorcery and she had been innocent all along. She used to tell me that she didn’t even like the boys in town because they weren’t grown up enough for her. I should have known better, because the only time I’ve ever had to scold her is when a neighbor spotted her by that dangerous dungeon, Despise. She said that she likes picking flowers over there. Now, the entire town is insinuating some horrible things, but I refuse to listen. Tabi, what do I do to convince these people that there is a witch or sorcerer in our midst working evil against us?

Dear Concerned Dad,
I understand that being the lone parent of a daughter must be difficult… Daddies never want to believe their lil girl’s kissing anyone, nevermind a two headed creature. We feed them all sorts of crazy ideals in Children’s Fairy Tales, volume 3.. A Princess kissing a frog and a Beauty kissing a beast are classic examples of this. It is possible that a witch or sorcerer is wielding a spell, or perhaps starting a race of subhumans to help conquer the world; slaughtering all who oppose them and bathing the world in a sea of blood. My gut tells me this is not the case. It is more plausible that she developed a fascination with one of these stories and acted upon them when flower-picking one day. There is a hint of naivety in your thinking, I fear; your claim of her innocence mirrors that of the Madonna. My advice to you is; rather than convincing others of some evil plot, it would be better to accept this new and horrific family member into your home and make your daughter aware of the reality of the situation. Perhaps you can connect with a lady friend with whom she feels comfortable to talk to create a dialogue. Then perhaps your daughter, the baby thing, and yourself can mature into a healthy family entity.  However, if I am wrong, please alert me immediately so I may escape to safety before the purge of humanity begins. 
 
Dear Tabi,
I am an old fashioned girl who has finally found the man of my dreams. Sure, he’s jealous, but he says it’s because my beauty drives him crazy. Ain’t that sweet? He once beat up a gazer because he thought it was looking at me in a lustful way. And talk about gallant! The other day after a heavy rain, there was a puddle in our path as we walked together. My honey removed his cloak and strangled five bystanders to build a bridge so that I wouldn’t get my feet wet. He treats me like a queen. The only problem that I have is that he won’t commit? Tabi, what’s a girl to do?

Dear Old Fashioned…
Well, this “man” you have met has quite the appetite but I don’t think its the kind your mother can teach you to quell with some “good home cooking”. His appetition for destruction would send out a red flag in most females, that you find it gallant and appealing makes me wonder of your own gauge of humanity. I find myself asking more questions than have answers for. What were you thinking as you embarked the bridge made of the human remains: your feet may have been dry but your very soul tainted…. And you wish to entwine yourself to this “man of your dreams”? I would say you have a penchant for self destruction should you continue on this path you will find yourself adapting to his ways and a trail of mayhem shall follow you.. I ask you if this is truely the “dream” you wish to make reality. But, I am not going to judge you.
 

The Peddler – January
Your rivals will be defeated and your business will bloom. Avoid dairy products for the next few days.

The Mongbat – February
You may grow nervous when others seem to know too much about you, but there doesn’t seem to be an easy way today of keeping your feelings hidden. Even if you go about your work in a quiet manner, somehow you still draw more attention than you want. “Aaaaaaah! Get out of my mind!!” You hope you didn’t just say that out loud.

The Phoenix – March
It is painful to try to tackle work that’s over your head, out of your league and generally too difficult for your current ability. And yet, you’ll do this anyway — maybe because you recognize it as “character building.” or you’re some sort of masochist, hellbent on failure.

The Sea Dragon – April
You don’t have to be good at everything. That’s one terrific aspect of having so many friends — On the other hand, you can buy soulstones and be good at everything. Then you won’t need any friends.

The Hermit – May
This is by far the best horoscope of the whole lot, that it even surprised us. Congratulations!

The Llama – June
Your outlook is bright, and you communicate well — people enjoy being around you; if only to pick your pockets.

The Ancient Wyrm – July
Things are looking up for everyone around you. It is a very exciting time to be them. On the bright side, your mother-in-law who was staying with you for just 2 weeks broke her ankle, so you will get to wait on her for the next six months. Yay..

The Anvil – August
Colleagues will remain friendly and your spouse will show warm feelings. Maybe your spouse will show warm feelings to your colleagues, who will in turn be very friendly to her. Maybe, you will walk in on them and surprise them when all this is happening, and everyone will feel quite embarassed.

The Weaver – September
Someone will ask you a question that, in some subtle way, encourages you to commit to a position. Consider that it may not benefit you to take a position or even answer at all.
Your best bet is to make up a ridiculous answer that doesn’t make sense, like your feelings about Yanni. Then they will be afraid to ask you any follow up questions.

The Wisp – October
If spontaneous combustion runs in your family, you might want to take it easy today. Why not enjoy a delicious bagel!

The Unicorn – November
The ones who put you on the defensive have something to teach you, as well. It’s not so easy to find the lesson when you’re in the middle of the fight, but later you can look back and see it very clearly. First you hate them, then you love them, then you kill them.

The Wanderer – December
Raising children is like gardening; First, you start with a fertile environment, and watch them carefully. At times you must feed them poison, or the bugs will devour them.
 
From everyone here at the Yew Times, we all hope you all had a happy Easter!

Greetings,

We will bring down the Account Center for a short maintenance tomorrow, Wednesday January 18th, at 10am EST (16:00 CET). During the maintenance you will not be able to change subscription, redeem game codes or transfer characters.

At the moment we anticipate the Account Center to be back online at 11:30am EST (17:30 CET).

Thank you for your understanding.

Written by the EM Team

  “Last time I do a favor for Rollins…” He looked at the note he’d been given from Rollins about taking a friend of his along with him. Victor glanced around his horses, and checked the fastenings on the saddles for the fourth time as the wind picked up. He looked at the skies as the heavens threatened to open up and deliver their own cargo upon the land, before exhaling heavily. Climbing back up into the bench on the front of the wagon he muttered, “I just hope whenever this Sherry gets here that she’s packed and ready to go.”

  “I’m right here and ready, sir.”

  “By the Virtues!” Victor exclaimed as his heart raced in his chest, looking down to where the voice had come from, and seeing only a tawny little mouse  wearing a tiny grey shawl over her shoulders. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, before realization hit him. “Y-you’re the Sherry! Sherry the mouse I mean!”

  “That’s right! It’d take me a lot longer to walk to Yew than I’d like, so I asked around if there were any travelers on the way, and that’s how I found you! Permission to come aboard, sir!” Sherry let out a few quick squeaks which Victor chose to interpret as her attempt at giggling. He reached a hand down to help her, and she scampered quickly to sit next to him.  With a crack of leather he lashed the reins of the horses to spur them on towards the road.

  Sherry squeaked in surprise at the noise. Looking slightly abashed, her voice rose above the hoofbeats, “Sorry! It’s been a while since I’ve ridden with anyone. I’d almost forgotten how fast it feels traveling this way! So how has your trading business been lately?”

  Victor shushed her, much to Sherry’s chagrin, before he spoke quietly enough that it hardly rose past the percussive beat of hooves. “It’s been…good and bad. I’ve been getting more pay for my goods, but the roads have been more dangerous lately, and a lot of traders don’t make it to their destination. We must be careful.” Victor sighed at length, looking across the darkening road as the sun descended further in its orbit. “It seems that the feeling left over from banding together to defeat Virtuebane is swiftly vanishing, and the nobles are fighting even worse than before.”

  Sherry’s face lengthened as she listened, and she looked down to the road swiftly passing by underneath the wagon, before looking back up to Victor. Victor’s eyes were locked on the road, but they darted back and forth in the gloom of the forest, seeking out hidden dangers. Sherry started to open her mouth but was interrupted as Victor spoke once more.

  “There’s a lot of paranoia and tension in the realm.  I’ve seen fights break out between trading partners of decades, and families torn apart over their family businesses. I don’t think there’s a way to stop it.” Victor shuddered at something that this mention conjured up inside him, and Sherry stared at him briefly.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Victor’s eyes held a haunted and tortured look in them, and he took a deep breath before he spoke, but he refused to meet Sherry’s gaze. “Sherry … let me tell you a story about an … experience I had last week in Vesper. Maybe it’ll help to finally tell someone. It started off with an innocent enough encounter…” Victor took a deep breath, and as Victor told the story Sherry swore she was seeing it unfold right in front of her very eyes…

   Victor paused amidst the bridge and looked south towards the sea, taking in the sights of the boats on the horizon before he heard another’s approach. He ignored them until he noticed that the woman had stopped and rested her own hands on the bridge and seemed to be gazing out to sea as well, though her wide-brimmed hat covered much of her face. As thunder echoed in the distance the woman spoke so softly that at first Victor wasn’t sure she’d spoken at all. “Excuse me?”

   “There’s a storm coming, you know.”

   Victor chuckled good-naturedly. “Not a rare thing here in Vesper.” He looked over to the woman but his smile vanished in an instant at the sight of her face as she turned to look at him. While the gypsy woman’s toothy smile was almost malicious in its bearing, it was her clouded, murky white eyes that resonated through a chord of fear in his being. Despite her obvious blindness, her gaze seemed to bore deep within to his very core. He had never felt a sense of trepidation like that which accompanied her next question.

   “Would you like to know the future, boy?”

   Victor swallowed hard and his hand went down to a pocket to fish out a few coins, hurriedly passing them to the woman while nodding his assent. Realizing his mistake he swallowed again, as all the stories of fortunetellers and oracles that he’d heard as a child flooded back to him in an instant.

   “Y-yes, I would.”

   The gypsy’s arms rose up and the shawl around her shoulders fluttered as she gestured with her hands, performing some archaic bit of wizardry to allow her to pierce the veil. Her voice dropped into a hoarse whisper as her movements held a rhythm all their own that kept his attention riveted.

   “People have risen and people have fallen, and throughout it all none hear the calling. The storm clouds gather and their potency rises, as none step forth to address the crisis. Though the raging winds and lightning ensue, it’s their aftermath that poses to consume. The path will open to our preservation, but not without its own consternations. The flames will brew and threaten us all, unless a way is found to pacify the squall.” Her tones had taken on an eerie cadence of song to them, and her swaying came to a close as she finished her incantations, regarding the shaken Victor as if waiting for some kind of response.

   “I…I don’t understand. What do we do?” Victor’s voice trembled for a moment as he forgot himself, while he felt a swell of dread rising in his gut. The gypsy folded her arms over her chest and bowed her head slightly so her hat covered all but his view of her mouth. Her lips moved ever so deliberately as she spoke once more, but this time with none of the lyrical tones she had adopted during her divinations.

   “The fires of fate will burn hot and bright, and this cannot be stopped by mortal hand; it is our duty to determine what these fires do.” With that she started to walk across the bridge before he shouted to her, causing her to pause and seemingly glance back over her shoulder.

   “What do you mean? I still don’t understand!”

   “Fire is a destructive and constructive force. In its embrace is where we can burn away our impurities, but linger too long and nothing is left to salvage.” With that parting shot, the blind fortuneteller strode confidently through a Vesper that felt colder and harsher than it had mere moments ago…

  As Victor’s tale drew to a close, Sherry gave the wagon driver a plaintive glance, and her tiny body shook as she swore she could almost hear the woman’s voice. She couldn’t find any words in response and instead studied Victor’s face inquisitively. It was plagued with worry and uncertainty, and she could feel its infectious touch beckoning her.

  Victor’s dismayed expression only darkened as they passed by the burned and arrow pocked wreckage of another caravan along the road, and the sky suddenly burst forth with a crash of lightning. Raindrops began to patter along the wagon, and Victor gestured to the covered portion. “Go ahead and get inside, it’ll keep you warm and mostly dry. I’ll tell you when we arrive.”

  Sherry climbed inside the wagon without a word and curled herself up into a ball against a few sheafs of wheat that were in the wagon, carefully avoiding the holes in the patched and worn canvas roof. Despite the shelter of the wagon keeping her warm and dry, her body was wracked with shivers from a chill that emanated from within. When sleep came to her, it arrived riddled with nightmares.

During the maintenance tonight, the Europa and Drachenfels shards will remain down for an extended period of time. At this moment we expect the shards to go offline at 12am EDT and be back online no later than 2am EDT.

Please keep an eye on the Herald for any updates regarding this maintenance.

Greetings,

Publish 74 comes to Test Center later today, along with the Enhance Client Patch 4.0.22 and the Classic Client Patch 7.0.22.

Here are the notes for your reading pleasure.

See you in-game!

Publish 74.0.0

Live Arc Started

You will be noticing we have added town loyalty, please pick the town you are the fondest of, you can only have loyalty to one town.  Starting this month and continuing thru September the UO Team and the EM Team have worked together to create something we are very excited about.  So keep your ears and eyes open for the next phase in this adventure as we prepare in the coming months for our 15th Anniversary!

Bulk Order Revamp

• Bulk Order Caching
  • NPCs will now allow cache up to 3 bulk order deeds for players
  • All BODs are limited to one every six hours; this is no longer dependent on crafting skill level
  • The system will “cache” up to 18 hours worth of BOD give outs
  • Players may claim all 3 deeds in quick succession
  • Turning in a BOD adds a new deed to the cache (up to 3)
  • Example: Log in after 18 hours and receive 3 deeds
  • Example: Receive 3 deeds, then turn in 3 filled deeds, and immediately receive 3 new deeds
• Bulk Order Bribery
  • Players may now grease the palms of NPCs that give out Bulk Order Deeds
  • The NPC will accept a bribe from the player in order to upgrade a BOD to a better one
    • Upgrades: Quantity, Quality, Material
    • Can only upgrade completely empty deeds
  • NPCs will become more greedy over time and ask for higher bribes
    • Higher level deeds also require higher bribes
  • NPCs who are bribed frequently will come under Guild scrutiny, and stop accepting bribes for a short time
  • To start the process, select the Bribe context menu option on the NPC, and follow the instructions!
• Runic Re-Forging
  • For Stygian Abyss accounts, players may now use Runic Hammers to “re-forge” items
  • Re-Forging requires that the user use a Runic tool near a Soul Forge
    • Soul Forge bonuses DO NOT apply to Runic Re-Forging
  • If a Runic tool is used away from a Soul Forge, or by a non-entitle account, it behaves as a classic Runic crafting tool
  • Re-Forging Basics
    • Re-Forging requires a non-magical craftable item that is not made from special materials
    • Re-Forging will consume one or more charges from the runic tool to add magical item properties to the item
    • The user choose from a number of options to affect the results of the re-forging
    • Each option selected increases the charges required to perform the action
    • If no options are selected, the tool will add item properties randomly to the item, similarly to classic Runic crafting
    • The following options affect the result:
      • Powerful Re-Forging: causes the item to have slightly more magical power
      • Structural Re-Forging: causes the item to have more magical power, but the item will be Brittle
        • Fortified Re-Forging: causes the brittle item to have higher durability
      • Fundamental Re-Forging: causes the item to have significantly more magical power, but the item cannot be repaired. Its durability will be increased.
        • Integral Re-Forging: further increases the durability of the “cannot be repaired” item
      • Focused Imbuing: causes the item’s magical properties to be fewer and more powerful
        • Concentrated Imbuing allows the item’s magical properties to achieve higher maximum values
      • Grand Artifice: guarantees that the resulting item will have one name, either a prefix or a suffix
        • Inspired Artifice: allows you to choose which name will be added to the item.
        • Exalted Artifice: guarantees that the item will have two names, both a prefix and a suffix
          • Sublime Artifice: allows you to choose a name to be added to the item. You must use both Inspired Artifice and Sublime Artifice in conjunction if you wish to choose both names to add to the item
    • Some options require other options to be set:
      • Fortified Re-Forging requires Structural Re-Forging
      • Integral Re-Forging requires Fundamental Re-Forging
      • Concentrated Imbuing requires Focused Imbuing
      • Inspired Artifice requires Grand Artifice
      • Exalted Artifice required Grand Artifice
      • Sublime Artifice requires Exalted Artifice
    • Higher-level tools:
      • Have higher budgets for adding item properties
      • Grant more properties
  • Runic tools can be combined together if they are exactly the same type
    • Their charges will be combined into one tool
    • Only works if the resulting tool has 100 or less charges
    • To combine tools, double-click one tool while near a Soul Forge and target the other tool

Wrong Dungeon Revamp

• Loot items from this dungeon now use the New Loot Generator
• Mobs in Wrong can drop Mondain’s Legacy items, but not Gargoyle items
• New and tougher mobs
• Prisoner Escort: gain Compassion more rapidly by escorting prisoners out of Dungeon Wrong
• Bedrolls: Search prisoners’ bedrolls to see what they’ve been up to
• The Prison of Nightmares
  • You start in a cell in the center
  • Can you find your way through a maze of vanishing walls?
  • Watch out for the Jailor – he will put you back in your cell!
  • Find the treasure room and steal some enchanted items
    • Watch out, these items have a security enchantment
    • You must escape with the item to lift the enchantment that binds it to the treasure room
    • New Item Property: Assassin Honed (found on items in the treasure room) – A successful hit with a weapon will provide additional bonus damage based on the attacker facing the same direction as the target. The percentage of the damage is based on the weapons original swing speed. Ranged weapons have a 50% chance to proc.
• New Stealables

Clean up Britannia – 4 new dyes

•  Aura of Amber Pigment
• Murky Seagreen Pigment
• Shadowy Blue Pigment
• Gleaming Fuschia Pigment

Looting rights distribution change

Healers, Tanks, and DPS will all be equally counted when receiving looting rights throughout the game.

Bard changes

Context menu updates:

• Will now display the mastery path you are currently on.
• Will allow you to switch masteries without having to re-do quests, once every 10 Minutes.
• Initiating any mastery ability will update your mastery book with the new context menu.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the issue with the Dream Serpent not spawning in Ter Mur
• HP, Stamina and Mana of duelist in the arena will be completely restored after the duel
• The Christmas mats are now dyable with the standard dye tub, the furniture dye tub, natural dyes, tokuno dyes, and the clean up britiannia pigments. Please remember the square mat can only be dyed when in deed form.
• Fixed the issue of the Christmas greeting card changing their from and to values
• Fixed the issue of welcome mats blocking players from entering their homes with a single door.
• When trading a pet the pet will now become frozen, an animal lore gump will be displayed and the pet has to be within 10 tiles of the owner.
• Special Titles were added to the arena system.
• Fixed the issue with how the garland hangs in the EC client
• Siege should now have arena stones
• Balanced will no longer  be given to throwing weapons with the new loot generator
• Removed the Fireworks wand form the clean up items accepted
• Immolating Weapon fir damage will now apply to each weapon hit instead of killing blow.
• 10th Anniversary sculpture can now be turned with the interior decorating tool.
• Mannequins will no longer be ejected from a house when the house private/public settings are adjusted.
• Green Thorns can no longer be used in champ spawn areas containing sand terrain.
• Players are no longer able to enter a negative balance in Sacrifice
• Fixed an issue with SA Goblins spawning in stuck locations
• Fixed an issue with the Lava Proof Hook, it should now attach correctly to the pole.
• Owners cannot eject co-owner placed Mannequins from a house.
• Magic Reflect will no longer flag you for reflecting non damaging spells.
• Spectators can no longer invite duel participants to a party.
• Removed a rogue cobblestone tile from the middle of the ocean.
• In chat players can now use the players ID number to submit a harassment appeal
• The Blood Drinker property will now spawn on items that are spawned with the new loot generator.
• You will no longer lose compassion if you fail to rez a pet.
• Bolts of cloth will auto stack in your inventory upon creation.
• Fixed the issue with Transferring/copying gargoyle characters  losing racial flight ability.
• Buff/debuff scripts will remove themselves properly when you stable/claim a chicken from their coop.
• Players can no longer recall to their ships over loaded.
• Spellbooks, runes, books etc will no longer be sent to the Cavern of Discarded when disposed of in a container.
• You can now dye the following with Tokuno Dyes:  Slither, Night Eyes, Venom, Cloak of life, Cloak of Death, Cloak of Power, and the Conjurer’s Garb.
• The general hotbar will default to cursor target instead of current target
• Changed out the barstools in the Fisherman’s Brew Inn/Tavern
• Scrolls of Alacrity have localized text for the Japanese players.
• Players can now cancel an appeal that has been submitted.
• In the EC client the scissor sound effect was fixed
• Players on Siege and Mugen will no longer have to wait for mobs to spawn after using the valor virtue.
• Draconic Orbs and Rare Serpent Eggs will no longer become stuck on the appropriate alters
• Gardeners can now open the plant gump when the plant is in secured containers.
• Players can now dry dock their ships when the deck is cluttered with bones that do not decay.
• The reward from the “The Honor of the De Boors” quest is now labeled correctly “The Goblet of Celebration”.
• Faction Town Sigils should now provide silver to the correct thief when it is returned to the Faction Town Sigil Monlith.
• Evil Omen will now work with melee damage
• If your criminal warning gump is off it will no longer appear when using the CurrentTarget macro.
• With the New Loot Generator, weaker mobs now have a chance of producing unusually powerful items, rarely
• Luck now has more influence on the power of items created by the New Loot Generator
• Slayer item properties will now spear with greater frequency on items created by the New Loot Generator
• Unraveling items looted from medium-level creatures in Shame will more often produce relic fragments

Classic client  7.0.22

• Cliloc Changes

Enhanced Client  4.0.22

• Cliloc Changes

The Ultima Online Forums had the opportunity to interview Jeff Skalski, the Ultima Franchise Producer and published part one of the Q&A on their site.

    What is a typical day like in the office for you?
    Starbucks in one hand and iPad in the other. I really avoid spending too much time in Outlook. Instead, I’d rather be engaged with fellow team members. In between that, I’m playing the game, in meetings, looking ahead and communicating in all directions around me about how we’re doing.

To get a better understanding of your producer and what changes we can look forward to for Ultima Online, head over to the Ultima Online Forums for the complete interview.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in assisting the Mysterious Healer in combating the horrid plague that has afflicted the Gargish of Ter Mur. Thanks to your hard work and dedication the Gargish will survive!

Keep an eye on the Herald in coming days for more fiction as we finish The Awakening leading up to our 15th Anniversary.