The Herald

UO Herald - Lore

Lost Hope

2/15/2019

The story continues in the lead up to Rising Tide and we invite you to sit back and enjoy, Lost Hope.

By EM Malachi

Many years ago…

The rowboat leaked. With soggy boots, Lassorn spent each trip out to the anchored HMS Cape bailing water. They had drawn straws to see who would have to make the slog, and Lassorn now had to make eight trips across Lost Hope Bay to Minoc and back to the ship.

If the sailor’s orders hadn’t been specific, Lassorn might have been able to deliver the cargo in fewer circuits, but the contents of the crates were too valuable to risk. Lassorn had asked his captain what was in the crates, and he’d been told they were the final work of a famed artisan, a set of masterworks meant for the King himself.

A pair of guards, Madellene and Averill, escorted him from the Minoc coast to a small workshop. The door had been replaced recently, and the workshop inside was cluttered with tools, springs, gears, and other bits of metal. Piled in one corner were eight identical crates. Picking up the first one, Lassorn felt warmth and a sense of calm radiating from the container.

As Lassorn walked back to the rowboat, the locals nodded to him and shook their heads sadly. It seemed everyone in Minoc was wearing an orange-and-black ribbon. After each trip out to the Cape, the guards would meet him and take turns escorting him to the workshop and back. After a long day, the task was done.

As Lassorn went to his hammock, the evening watch weighed anchor and started the journey out of Lost Hope Bay. It was almost midnight when the HMS Cape reached the mouth of the bay, and the northern mountains blocked the moon. The ship had been moving at a good clip, when the winds suddenly stopped. The ship slowed, as if caught in a great net.

A crewman clanged the brass alarm bell, waking the captain and crew, while those on deck shined lanterns into the dark sea. The waters were filled with dozens of graceful shadows flitting back and forth. They had the elegant features of elves, but with gills and long fishtails.

“Mermaids!” shouted the botswain.

One of the creatures jumped aboard and pinned the sailor to the deck with a trident.  “We are the Nixies! You disrespect us at your peril!” More armed Nixies clambered up the hull, as a large wave deposited a gangling sea witch covered in slime onto the deck. The other nixies formed a phalanx around their leader, Sycorax.

The captain stepped forward with open hands, “This doesn’t have to lead to violence. Our King has made peace with the remaining fae folk.”

Sycorax sneered. “Did your king’s peace protect my sister, Noxum, when a net dragged her from the shoals off Skull Island? I claim your lives for hers.”

The captain gave Lassorn a look, and the young sailor dashed to protect the cargo in the hold. “Surely you know that wasn’t us. We can resolve this peacefully.”

The sea witch drew a blade made from broken shells and stabbed the captain in the throat. “There is your peace. A pact of blood for blood.”

Before the captain hit the deck, his crew had drawn their swords, and the two sides clashed. The sailors managed to force the other nixies back into the water, but Sycorax held her place. “I’d hoped to take some of you captive.”

With her gills luminescing with strange magic, the sea witch started to sing. Every barnacle on the hull burst forth from their shells in agony. This frantic wiggling tore apart the very timbers of the ship. The chant sounded over the waters, making the dark sea churn. A maelstrom began pulling the broken ship and its crew beneath the waves.

As the ship filled with water, Lassorn desperately cut the cargo net. The crates smashed open. The carved stones inside tumbled out eight different holes in the hull. The sailor took a deep breath as the dark ocean covered him.

When the mayhem ended and the waters calmed, Sycorax smiled and sank back into the waves.


UO Herald - Community

Happy Valentine’s Day! A Special Gift For You!

2/14/2019

Have you ever wanted to share a romantic candlelit dinner with your special someone while also enjoying the serene company of a pond?  Now you can!  Whether you are a human, elf, gargoyle or a frog now you too can enjoy the warming glow of a candlelit lily pad!

Visit the Britain Commons and double click the Cupid Statue to redeem your lily pad today!

Thes Cupids are being built manually and we appreciate your patience as we place the dispenser on each shard.

See you in Britannia,

UO Team


UO Herald - Special Announcement

Congratulations Castle Design Contest Winners!

2/14/2019

We know you are going to LOVE these designs!  We are continually amazed at the creativity of Britannia’s architects and we are excited to announce the following castle plots will be available when Rising Tide is released worldwide,

Robin’s Roost by Robin

Camelot by CaMeLoT

Lacrimae in Caelo by Tears in Heaven

Okinawa Castle by Taka

Grimswind Sisters by Sis Draper

Sandstone Castle by Lex Anteris

Congratulations again to all the winners!

See you in Britannia,

UO Team


Rising Tide TC Release 1

2/6/2019

Greetings,

We are pleased to announce the first Test Center release of Rising Tide will be available after 3pm ET!  Rising Tide is the first of our High Seas themed content updates for the year and we are excited to bring new Veteran Rewards, Cannon Crafting & Firing Updates, and a host of bug fixes!  Check out the publish notes for full details!

We would also like to invite everyone to participate in a public test event beginning this Friday and continuing throughout the weekend.  Hop on TC1 and say hello!

Please also note – if you plan to test anything on TC1, especially any cannon related changes, you will need to patch up to get the latest client text.  When you head back to production, you will see this updated client text – do not be alarmed, this is normal and expected behavior.

See you in Britannia,

UO Team


UO Herald - Lore

The Rune Carver

2/5/2019

As we approach the release of Rising Tide we invite you to sit back and enjoy the introductory tale of, The Rune Carver.

By EM Malachi

Julia set two cups of tea on the small table and pulled a second stool over from her workbench. The tinker’s calloused hands brushed a few springs and gears off the table into her apron. She smiled at her friend as she heaped sugar into her cup. Mariah sipped at her own tea and looked around the room. It was far less cluttered than the mage remembered it, with only a lone stopped clock in the corner. “Has work been slow?”

Julia shook her head. “My projects are handed off to other tinkers, smiths, and rune-carvers. I’m glad the artisans I helped train are able to keep Minoc’s forges lit. What about you? Keeping busy?”

Mariah relaxed in her chair and started telling Julia about her studies with the gargoyles and the new spells she was mastering. The story of an unfortunate Flam spell in the Lyceaum made Julia laugh and caused Mariah to casually remark, “Why don’t we do this anymore?” She gasped when she remembered the reason.

Julia went pale, as she was the day she died. A shaking hand touched the shoulder where the troll’s club had crushed her heart. Her fiery red hair dulled and faded until it was ghostly and translucent. The abandoned workshop around them showed years of cobwebs and dust. Julia gave a sad look before answering her friend, “I am sorry for the pain this meeting brings, but there is a reason.”

The shade of Julia floated over to the workbench where there appeared eight uncarved stones. As she ran her hand over the stones, each revealed the sigil of a Virtue. “I made these for my king so he could keep watch over his shrines. So long ago. They are missing and need to be found. You and the others must find them.”

The ghost of Julia returned to the table and gave Mariah a hug. It had all the warmth Mariah remembered. “I miss you too, my friend, but I need to go.”

Mariah woke up sobbing.


UO Herald - Special Announcement

Account Center taken down for Maintenance

Greetings everyone,

The Account Center and the UO Store will be taken down for maintenance on Thursday, January 31st.  This will take approx 5 hours and should be back up and functional by noon on the 31st.

Thank you for your patience and understanding !

UO Team

 

 


UO Herald - Special Announcement

Publish 104 Castle Design Contest Important Dates

1/23/2019

Greetings,

Please take note of the following important dates as they relate to the Publish 104 Castle contest.

Contest Started/Signup – Friday, January 18, 2019 9:13:01 AM GMT-05:00

First Vote Begins – Friday, February 1, 2019 9:19:41 AM GMT-05:00

Second Vote Begins – Friday, February 8, 2019 9:19:41 AM GMT-05:00

Vote Tally – Monday, February 11, 2019 9:19:41 AM GMT-05:00

We look forward to seeing many great designs this time around!

See you in Britannia,

UO Team


UO Herald - Special Announcement

Developer Meet & Greet and Castle Contest

Greetings everyone,

The next meet and greet will be on Drachenfels,  January 28th at 2 pm ET.  We  look forward to seeing you there.

Since we just finished a Keep only contest we are going to do a Castle only this time.  We will be wiping TC1 tomorrow for everyone that wants to submit your new Castle design for voting.

Good luck everyone we look foward to seeing everyones creativity.

UO Team

 

 

 


UO Herald - Special Announcement

Ultima Online 2019 Roadmap

1/16/2019

Greetings Britannians!

In case you haven’t read the latest newsletter, we want to share with you the first release of our upcoming roadmap for 2019!  This year is going to be packed full of adventure!  Since its release in 2010, High Seas has been one of the most commonly talked about additions to Ultima Online. It comes up at meet and greets, the various player gatherings we’ve had over the years, the forums, and in feedback we receive directly.  We are excited to announce the theme for 2019 will be focusing on the High Seas!

So what does that mean for publishes this year?  Is every publish going to be about sailing the oceans, fishing, and pirate hunting?  Not exactly – but close!  Our goal is to continue to support the events and systems you have come to love while revamping the areas of the High Seas that need it most.  In each publish we will be tackling a major High Seas content area and combining it with often requested new features, content, quality of life updates, client updates, tools, and bug fixes.

The first Publish of 2019 is Publish 104 – Rising Tide.  Rising Tide will introduce new veteran rewards, a new way to identify hues in the classic client, client performance and accessibility updates, Parry balance changes, quality of life updates to cannons, and more!

The High Seas are vast and t’will be a long voyage ahead!


Join us as we look forward to a year of swashbuckling adventure at every turn!

March will bring Rising Tide, updating the cannon crafting, ammunition, and firing process!

As we sail into the Summer June brings Forgotten Treasures where we will focus on updates to treasure chests on both land and sea!

Coasting into Fall we find ourselves confronting Forsaken Foes – a new take on Corgul & Charybdis!

Wading into Winter look high for Jolly Roger bringing both cheer and dread to the oceans far!

This is only a small portion of what 2019 brings and we look forward to sharing more details as the year sails on!

See you on the High Seas,

UO Team