A New Shard for a New Legacy
It’s time to release the final three pieces for our Anniversary puzzle. This should allow you to finish the artwork and get a nice impression of the complete piece.
If you like what our Artist has created, head to the Bioware store. The artwork is available as a lithograph over there. Check it out!
Also available in the store to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Ultima Online is a new tshirt. Take a look.
Let’s get the celebration started.
In line with the writing contest and the Memorable Moments Bonnie gave us at the beginning of this week, we asked Richard Garriot to shared some of his memories with us. He was kind enough to come up with two stories:
The Thief
One day, early in the life of UO, I was participating as a GM and going to the aid of people who requested it. A note flashed across my screen from a woman, who said something like “Today is my first day trying to play UO, and every time I try to leave town a thief steals all my stuff, so I have to restart, and he does the same. If this continues I will quit and never come back to this game.” So I arrived in her presence as Lord British, not that she cared, she did not know or care who I was, and only wanted her problem fixed. I felt I was up to the seemingly simple task. I told her to come with me, and I would escort her out of town. As we left town, suddenly *ZIP* a thief flew across the screen at speeds I could hardly understand, and stole her gear and disappeared! I told her to wait here, as I teleported to try and get in advance of the speedy ruffian. When I finally froze him with a GM command, I revealed myself as Lord British, and told him to leave this poor woman alone, that this would drive away potential new players which we could not allow. Stop or else I would ban him from the game! He begged for forgiveness, and pledged to never do it to her again.
Satisfied, I returned the stolen items to the woman and told her, she should be safe now for at least a while, when *ZIP* the same thief came by again and stole all her items and disappeared. So, I chased him down a second time, and told him, hey, you had been warned, now I am going to ban you. He pleaded and pleaded and exclaimed how exuberance had overtaken him, and that he swore this time he would never do it again! Reluctantly, I believed him, and took the belongings back to the woman, again.
But then, for a third time, the same thief *ZIPPED* by… I froze him to the ground and told him, I was about to ban him! Then for the first time… he broke character, and refered to me out of character as well… “Look Richard Garriott”, he said, “You guys made the rules to this game, the rules include the role of thief, I am playing just as the role would be intended to be played. If the King tells a thief not to steal, of course he will beg for mercy and swear he won’t again. But what do you expect of me… I am a thief!”
After some thought… I agreed with him. So instead of banning him, I teleported him to the far side of the world. Then I gave the items back to the woman who could finally go about her business. After that, I began to think more carefully about the rules we ourselves put in the game, and the inevitable play styles that would come of it.
The Fisherman
One day, I was walking along the banks of a small river. I was doing so *invisible* so that I would just wander and observe the world we had created. Along the bank, I saw a man dressed clearly as a fisherman, repeatedly casting into the water and setting his catch in tidy rows along the bank. I was struck by how much fun he was having in spite of the thin fishing simulation, which was merely 50% catch a fish each cast.
After a few minutes a warrior walked by wearing plate armor and caring large weapons. When he saw the poor fisherman, he strutted over, and said something like: “Poor fisherman, I see you are without weapons and armor. I am a great warrior and have just returned from the dungeons with great bounty, I would gladly share it with you to help you up from your station.” With that he began to lay out valuables along the bank, as gifts for the poor fisherman.
The fisherman replied: “Warrior, take back your implements of violence! I am a fisherman! What need have I of swords and armor. You call me poor, but every day I sit by a beautiful riverbank, watching the world and catching my fish. Every evening I take my catch to town and sell it, then retire into the pub to share drinks and stories with my friends. I live a rich life! Be gone ruffian!” And with that the warrior huffed and went on his way.
This was the day, where I knew we were creating something of more transcendent power than I had expected before.
– Richard
Richard also mentioned the death of Lord British but he was sure that everyone has heard that story. We have and we made it part of the art work. In honor of that moment we give you another puzzle piece – to complete the burning Lord.
Everyone here is very excited to get the party started. Official beginning on Saturday is 10:30am EDT. When you arrive at 4035 Ridge Top Road please come to the 2nd floor (just follow the smell of fresh brewed coffee, we will also have tea for those that do not drink coffee)
Ultima Online’s 15th Anniversary Party Itinerary
10:00 am – 11:00 am – Greet players and have coffee and donuts
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Welcome Speeches
12:00pm – 1:30 pm – Lunch and cake
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Special guest – question and answer period
2:20 pm – 4:00 pm – Dev Q&A –Open discussion about what direction the team is going and where the players would like us to go.
4:00pm – 5:30 pm – Give always and opening EA store (credit cards only please)
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Happy hour at Marlin and Rays
For those that cannot be with us: We will stream the afternoon on UStream in the BioHerald channel, starting at 1:30pm EDT. Please join us if you have a few moments.
On a different note, we are putting out a publish and patch today to fix the loyalty decay. Below is a breakdown of exactly how it was addressed:
We are also publishing out the Halloween surprises it will run from October 1st to November 12th, so make sure you visit the pumpkin patches and the graveyards for a ghoulish experience.
For those driving please have a safe drive and we all look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!!
UO’s 15th anniversary triggered several articles and reviews. Here is the EA Press release:
EA CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF ULTIMA ONLINE
Mythic to Crown a New King To Mark The 15-Year Anniversary Of The Longest Running MMO Of All-Time
Electronic Arts and Mythic are proud to announce the 15th anniversary of the massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) Ultima™ Online. Originally released on September 24, 1997, Ultima Online is a fantasy MMORPG set in the legendary Ultima™ universe and was the first game of its kind to gain a dedicated widespread audience. To celebrate this occasion, the development team at Mythic has crafted a long running seven month story arc that will usher in a new king in an upcoming in-game event.
With 15 years under its belt, Ultima Online is a sandbox RPG that has truly evolved into a creature of its own. Players have 58 skills they can build in any way they want to become whatever kind of character they want, such as a warrior, mage, miner, lumberjack, among others. The player choice within the game is endless – players can engage in Player vs. Player combat, fight against the game’s many types of monsters or even just sit at a bank and talk to people. The only element that holds players back is their own creativity and imagination. To learn more about Ultima Online, the 15th Anniversary celebration and how players can become a part of this still vibrant community, visit http://www.uo.com.
“I personally have worked on Ultima Online for more than 13 years and I’m still inspired by our players and actually learn something new from them every day. We truly have any amazing community who have been responsible for keeping the game alive for 15 years,” said Producer, Bonnie Armstrong.
Spanning over three decades, the fantasy world of Ultima has entertained millions of players from around the world with dozens of award-winning titles. The passionate and loyal fans of Ultima have braved perilous dungeons, faced off against fearsome enemies and creatures, conquered expansive lands and seas, and saved worlds. It’s time to revisit this enchanting universe and step into the shoes of your very own Avatar to find out where your choices will take you.
A very interesting aticle was written by the original Ultima Online developer Raph Koster, bringing some insights of the early days of the game.
“A lot of the time we were trying to solve problems like stairs, or buttresses. For those who recall the Mage Tower in Britain, I created the templates for arches and flying buttresses just for that building. Trinsic was the reason we got sloping walls at all. I also created the templates for how to do stairs, and later, sloping terrain.”
Last not least we recommend to check Massively’s Twitch TV channel every evening until Friday at 5pm EDT (9pm GMT) when Beau Hindman explores the game again. You can find the recording of the first session including several members of the UO team already online.
Happy Birthday Ultima Online!!
I wanted to drop you guys a note on this extremely memorable day. Can you believe its 15 years already? I have been reading all your stories, which are great I have to say. Some have made me grin, some I have shared with people not on our team and some I just shook my head thinking yep I know what they are talking about. *grins*
So with that said I want to share a few of my memorable moments that stand out to me, I hope some of you can relate.
Back in September 1997 when I first logged into UO, I was in Skara near the bees at the bank, and these bees started talking to me … I swear I logged out of the game after that thinking ‘ok, talking bees are just too weird for me.’ Of course this was back in the day when you could stay hidden and talk to people. My friend talked me into logging back in after that, so I continued on with my quest of building my first character, man I thought it was a badass cause I could kill a troll…*chokes laughing*. Then I ran into my first PK … not only did he kill me but he killed my husband. I was sooo upset, I had gathered a lot of liquor and backpacks to make money and he got them all!!! To this day I will never forget my first PK’s name MIM. That name stayed written on a monitor for years and years.
The next one was the first time a GM pulled me into a closed in area (not jail) and tells me not to go anywhere. Do you guys remember when the game would drop those awesome vanquishing weapons … the ones that did like 80 points of damage in one hit? Yes I had one!
I was out one day with my lumberjack when I got PK’d again….Please remember we are talking about when if you were red you stayed red. If you were a GM in anything you were good! So after this guy kills my little resource gather I went and got my red, I found the guy and killed him and took my stuff back … then he calls a GM … I lost my weapon =( Oh well it was a good while it lasted. *laughs*The last memory that I will share today is the one where it opened the door to where I am at today, a group of us were playing on TC, this was when there was not a set skill ability … you had to make your characters. This was when Devs would come there and get their special groups to help them test things. What I mean by special groups is each dev had a group of players they liked to work with the most … one liked the PK’s, one liked the crafters and one liked the overall players that liked all of it. We all needed to blow off some steam one day, so the two Devs had a bet I think to see whose group was the best. Good guys outside and bad guys hide in a house. Each dev could not interfere but could feed us potions or regs. We all had a blast, and of course my side won cause we rocked! And this is how I was introduced to my beginning with Origin – now EA. I was a Mechanical Engineer working in aerospace. One day I just needed a change and I started working as an external tester back in 1999, I have been with UO ever since. I love the players, I love the game. Everyone I meet amazes me how creative and informed they are. Every day I learn something new and every day I look forward to coming to work. Now that is not something everyone can say!!!
Thank you everyone for helping make Ultima Online the best game unlike any other out there!! *hugs*
Bonnie “Mesanna” Armstrong
Ultima Online Producer
Also, some more pieces to the puzzle:
The Ultima Online team has received another set of questions last week. Here are the answers.
The Rustic and Gothic theme packs can not be bought together, as they could from uogamecodes.com, are there any plans to make that possible? (Snyder330)
When the change was made to Origin Store that was left out, we will add it back in next time we go to put something up on the store.
Some Origin stores outside of the US don’t all have the full range of items – when the High Seas booster will be available in EMEA region? (Sir Z), – Stygian Abyss is still not available in Brazil store (Bealank). Will the missing items become available?
We have reported this to my contact, also inquiring when the items from the Korean store will be back, when we hear something definite we will let you guys know.
Is there a reason to keep town loyalty up other than for the banners and the town titles? (Ingame Question)
Mesanna: Yes there is, we have another reason that will be revealed very soon. Sorry don’t want to spoil anything.
Will there be more and new casino games added in the future? (Ingame Question)
Phoenix: Yes! We are planning another dice game, plus a card game. Both will be in the style of the casino table games.
While I appresiate the good new new player guide you made for the “Playguide” section on herald.. is there any particular reason you removed alot of valid pages that people frequently used as a look up guide, such as the material bonus page? And why is the new new player guide in PDF? It is terrible to navigate for specific info. (Knuckleheads.dk)
Mesanna: We are moving over to a new site named UltimaOnline.com and it is in a html format, no more PDF.
Here’s my question: With everyone asking for new content and revamps for old dungeons like Doom, etc, would the DEVs consider re-instating imbuing artifacts/replicas as long as the item caps remain the same for non-exceptional items, meaning all artifacts/replicas would be imbueable to 450 property cap? I mean its a huge undertaking to come up with new artifacts/properties, think about the balance required, and most of the stuff will probably be a rehash of older items anyhow. Why not let us have some fun with it? I think it would really invigorate older lesser/minor artifacts without making anything overpowered, considering how some reforged/new shame loot is insanely good now. (Arcades)
Kyronix: This is a really interesting idea, but one that would need to be tread upon very carefully. What we’ve talked about is trying to incorporate allowing players to revitalize outdated artifacts via traditional crafting means and at the same time revitalizing the crafter class.
Hello Mesanna and Dev Team, because of the all-time discussion about the UO graphics I like to ask if there are any plans for the 2D/Classic Client to get better a screen resolution? We still have 800×600 max, this is quite outdated for today’s games. (Medea, Ultima Online Bibliothek Forum)
Kyronix: There are draw issues associated with the world building when increasing the size of the client window in the 2D/Classic client. We’ve experimented with it, but unfortunately the results were not aesthetically pleasing. You can always come over to the dark side and switch to the EC….*evil grin*
Hallo Mesanna and UO Dev Team, are there any plans to have the small, round Radar Map in the 2D/Classic Client replaced by a zoomable/bigger version of it or even a real map like the Enhanced Client has now? (Ultima Mapper works not on my system so I have no really usable solution at the moment.) And if a new map would be built in, is there a possibility to add Towns, Dungeons and important points too? (Waldschrat and MeneTekel, Ultima Online Bibliothek Forum)
Phoenix: Currently we are not very likely to make any significant changes to the Classic client. The Enhanced client has a much-improved map. Since that client’s UI can be completely customized, player-created user interfaces for the EC offer greater improvements still.
Dear UO Team, what about completing the house- and roof house building tiles? There are some of them and it would be fantastic to have with every set the complete (small) walls, windows, archs and for the roofs all directions of them. (Medea, Ultima Online Bibiothek Forum)
Mesanna: We do know there are missing directions of certain tiles but if you could email me the wall tiles and roof tiles you would like to see in the customization gump that would help us with adding the tiles you guys want.
Dear Dev Team, I am thinking about new instruments for bards – what about a bagpipe? It would fit quite perfectly for some of the races/classes! (Raknar Skarsol, Ultima Online Bibliothek Forum)
Mesanna: First off before I answer this question, are you JP in disguise? *grins* I think bagpipes would be different, but since the instruments are not equippable some of the magic would be lost don’t you think? Of course if you just want some for display and sound that would not be as difficult.
If you have something you want to know about Ultima Online and the team, post your questions on your fansite. All interesting questions will be collected and send to our team, so we can continue to answer them.
While our final preparations for the Anniversary Party here in Fairfax are on their way, we would like to take a moment and encourage all of you who will join us next Saturday to show up in costumes.
We’ll hold a costume contest and the best male and female costumes will win to games from the EA Store.
If you can’t make it to the party, here is something else to keep you busy:
Written by members of the community
Issue 8
WORLD NEWS
ELDERLY EXHIBIT BAFFLING BEHAVIOR
Britannia’s recently appointed sleuth and oracle, Misk has been looking into the recent bizarre behavior of New Haven citizens offering quests to new adventurers in town. Industrious do-gooders looking to make a quick sack of gold have been oft times led on lengthy goose-chases for very little compensation for the effort. Misk claims that an attempt to create more diversity in the town community with a varied age range, may have affected those individuals’ personalities particularly towards the upper limits. In other words, old people are acting like old people. Most complaints include: Being asked for an escort to an elderly woman’s home, followed by a request to come inside and massage bunions, clean the oven, rub liniment on aching legs, lowering shelves, and cleaning rain gutters. Questors instead of receiving their usual 500 gold have been compensated with “something better than gold” such as dishes of stewed prunes, coupons, crocheted doilies, and bingo markers. Young adventurers will likely move onto greener pastures until the issue is resolved.
RIDDLE CONTEST OUTCOME DISAPPOINTS ATTENDEES
The second annual riddling contest ended on a particularly bad note leaving organizers to wonder if there will be a follow up next year. When participant Mordred Greyskull brought his attorney to accompany him, the judges should have seen the writing on the wall. “Greyskull wouldn’t have advanced as far as he had without the audacity of his lawyer arguing to legitimize his rIdiculously incorrect answers”, claims one judge, Draven Rilit. “The crowds were incensed. The icing on the cake was with the final winning question. It was: I have been worshiped by many men. I make your bread and I give life. I will give you pain if you abuse me. If I am not watch carefully, I will go astray. But if you put me in water, I will die.” Rilit says, “The answer of course was FIRE. But the fool insisted that the answer was A WIFE. When we challenged the notion that wives don’t die when you put them in water, his lawyer retorted, “They do if you weigh them down enough.”
HEROIC CHICKEN SAVES TODDLER
Emily the chicken is celebrated as a hero today, following her rescue of the family’s 22 month old toddler who fell from the dock into the pond on their property. Emily began to cluck frantically which drew the attention of the boy’s mother, Livia Greenwell, who was doing housework and had not noticed the child’s disappearance. Greenwell asserted that before she could react, the plucky chicken launched itself into the water, and chickenpaddled the boy to shore. The boy has been examined by a local healer, and will not require any additional treatment.
STARGAZING SCHOLARS CALL FOR END TO SHENANIGANS
Mages in Moonglow are sending out a message to the wise-cracker who is putting black ink on the eyepiece of the great telescope to cease and desist immediately. Heironymous, chief astronomer in Moonglow conveys this message, “The whole black eye gag was a bit humorous at first; even I got a chuckle out of it. But it’s been several weeks now, and it’s already become a bit tiresome.” There are no current leads on the identity of the prankster.
TRAVELOGUE
Welcome, gentle readers! Mr. Brucetta here, Designer to the GODS! How, you might ask, would one get such a lofty title? Self-claimed, of course! Just the other day I was taking a stroll through the Prism of Light, looking for inspiration (and the occasional crystal to augment my trust fund), when I was overtaken with ennui. I sat down on a FAR less than comfortable outcropping, and slipped into a fitful doze. When I awakened, I found myself in the middle of a humid and snake-infested jungle, with a large undistinguished Ankh behind me and a headless oaf in front of me. Well, I promptly raised my silver-handled walking stick and rapped the brute on the head… or where his head WOULD have been, had he had the sense to possess one… and surveyed my surroundings.
It took me only a moment (being a student of local geography) to realize that I was on the Isle of the Avatar. I also realized that the huge, worn Ankh behind me and the grimy blood-stained tile beneath my feet indicated that I had been transported to the Shrine of Humility. The first thing I thought, of course, was “How in Dupre’s name am I going to get back to a city with a tavern and a day spa?” The SECOND thing, however was the realization that all this Shrine needed to attract tourists… I mean PILGRIMS… was a MAKE-OVER! But the Humidity, the Heat from the Lava (they haven’t started calling it the Isle of Fire for nothing!), the Subtropical Foliage… Why would anyone EVER trek all the way out here… and then it struck me. A SPA! That is what this shrine needed. I knew at that moment that I had found a calling. I, Cornelius Brucetta, would take on the colossal task of remaking the Shrines of Britannia! Designer to the GODS! I would start here, at the Shrine of Humility. A Day Spa and Resort was perfect. Natural hot springs, built to exacting specifications and heated by the very Lava that flowed beneath my feet, where gentlefolks could relax with a facial and foot massage while contemplating their Humility. Balms and unguents made from the tropical plants. And fortune had smiled on me… just a short dragonboat ride away was the new Fortune’s Fire Casino!
This, of course, would be only the beginning. Every Shrine deserved the Mr. Brucetta treatment! The Shrine of Spirituality, with its raised platform and spectacular light show, would be PERFECT as a Medieval-themed Discoteque! The most sought-after DJ’s (that is Dulcimer-Jockeys, for the uninitiated!) in the land would clamor to spin on that white marble stage (the steps will have to be fixed to avoid lawsuits, of course). Unicorn jousting matches, fabulous feasts, and the occasional Arthurian RAVE… what could possibly say “Spirituality” better than a mindless, self-absorbed night on the dancefloor?
And Justice? JUSTICE! I have a WONDERFUL idea for the Shrine of Justice! We will do the ENTIRE area as Mount Olympus! Greek Columns… alabaster marble, of course! Statues of ALL the old Gods and Goddesses… Ares, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Apollo… oh, of COURSE Apollo! And sitting in Judgment, Zeus! One can bring their petty squabbles there, and by His whim, you either are rewarded with riches, or struck by a thunderbolt! And wrestling… there must be wrestling. Greek wrestling. Oh, it is just too fabulous! We MUST do it!
We will cover the entire peninsula in gold brick, laid by gargoyle slaves from Ter Mur (after all, the poor things really have nothing better to do. Have you seen those tents? Atrocious.) It will rise, step by step, brick by brick, to the Seat of Justice! Where reward and punishment are meted out by the whims of the old Gods! We will have to construct a lightning machine… real bolts, mind you! None of this magery nonsense… I want those peasants….er…citizens to KNOW when they have been hit!
Well, impassioned souls, I know that you cannot WAIT to experience the Mr. B Shrine Spectacular, so I am OFF! I promise sincerely to keep you updated! TaTa for now!
ADVERTISMENTS
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Hi, I’m Thrud Sperling!
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PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE
The chief librarian at the Lyceaum has requested that we pass on this messages to our readers on his behalf:
Dear citizens of Britannia, In times such as these where the economy is in a slump, unemployment is climbing, and other forms of entertainment are unaffordable to many of us, is when assets such as free public libraries become more valuable. So, we ask that when you borrow a book, please return it; as the cost of replacing it becomes a burden on our budget, which is increasingly slimmer in these hard times. We have noticed in particular that books on suicide are not being returned at all. There has been a great demand for these books lately, with none to be readily available anywhere. Remember, readers turn to books to lift their spirits and sometimes to learn new skills when jobs are scarce. So, when these particular books are not returned, readers are deprived of that small glimmer of hope. So please, be responsible and remember to return your books.
HOROSCOPES
The Peddler-January
Your fortune is not coming in very clearly…something about being buried under a pile of burning zombies, or something along those lines. I’m sure things will all work out for you.
The Mongbat-February
A kind hearted dryad will grant you the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of nature by turning you into a tree. Then you will get dutch elm disease and a limb will fall off.
The Phoenix-March
Ruthless agents of retribution will show up at your doorstep as a direct consequence of breaking that chain letter that you were so smug about being a total joke. So, who’s laughing now?
The Sea Dragon-April
It is time to get serious about career choices and stop all those silly get quick rich schemes. Remember the time that you trained a llama to jump onto the other end of a teeter totter so you’d be catapulted into Lord British’s treasury?
The Hermit-May
Someone will respond to your classified ad, that they too also enjoy long walks on the beach. As the relationship progresses, you will find that walking on the beach is your partner’s sole interest with the exclusion of everything else. Soon, you will discover that you probably didn’t enjoy long walks on the beach as much as you thought you did.
The Llama-June
Why not make the best of your free time by focusing on self-improvement, and improving your vocabulary. By making your speaking much more good, people will think that your big words will make you sound much more smarter and when you go out to places where people go to do fun things, they will want to be around you.
The Ancient Wyrm-July
You are probably not receiving the respect that you think you deserve. Your pets make goofy imitations of you behind your back.
The Anvil-August
The planets will seemingly align in accordance with your will, providing you with the most favorable portents and blessings. From the perspective of those inhabiting those planets, this will spell disaster, death and destruction.
The Weaver-September
You will find yourself volunteering your time towards humanitarian causes; namely helping gargoyle junkies recover from their silver serpent venom addictions.
The Wisp-October
Your should ignore this horoscope entirely. It is very misleading and fixating on it will likely complicate matters in the long run with its vague statements and generalizations. As you are reading this, ninjas are stealing snacks from your pantry.
The Unicorn-November
The full moons will have a powerful effect on the tides. This will have very little effect on your life unless you own a boat or live very close to shore.
The Wanderer-December
The soulmate that you were destined to meet, has disappeared without a trace. Well, better luck to you in the next life.
Written by the EM Team
The power was inimitable and without equal or peer; he could feel it flowing through him as he channeled the energies of the shrine itself into the spell that he’d pieced together from his own research and what Gilforn had taught him. Was this how Nystul had felt when he had created Trammel? The rush of power that coursed through Gilforn’s hands as he fashioned the gates initially? Or could this perhaps be something else entirely…the power of his friends Virtues at work? He let his wandering thoughts go as he focused on the spell, and felt the power suddenly rush out in an instant. Flames and fury rushed forth along the course of tiles that formed the Honor chalice, as magical energies cascaded along the path before them. It was exhilarating and incredible, and a line of purple flame stood blazing as a testament to the power that was used. He approached the gate slowly and took a breath, looking back at those gathered, and stepped through…and came out the other side into Britain in Trammel. Exactly where he’d wanted to. He stepped back into the gate to speak briefly to those still gathered at Honor, Ilshenar.
After he’d addressed them and spoken briefly, he once again stepped through the gate, but this time arrived in a cracked and broken landscape. A harpy screeched loudly as it’s flapping wings led it towards him on a dive, but he was not deterred for an instant. It took only a moment to hurl his hands out and chant the words. “Vas Ort Grav!” The heavens shook with a resounding peal of thunder as a burst of lightning arced out of the sky and took the harpy full force in the chest, blasting it aside into so much cooked flesh. Lord Blackthorn straightened his robe as he eyed another approaching harpy, which chose discretion over valor and fled. He took only a moment to look at the landscape around the gate, and he held his hands out much as he had at the Honor shrine. Here, too, he could feel that same power, just waiting to be used and set to some definite purpose…and he let his hands drop down to his sides. No matter what power there was here, it wasn’t what was needed. He stepped back through the gate and headed towards the camp in Ter Mur.
Having reached the camp he sat down and looked over his notes. The cures were keeping the disease at bay and none of those treated were showing anything but signs of remission. There were no recurrent cases and reinfection didn’t seem to be occurring either. Even with the gargish plague counteracted and the Honor moongate fixed, there were other problems…though the one that troubled him most was what was occurring in the cities of the once unified realm of Britannia. They were on the verge of outright warfare amongst some of the cities and it was difficult to think of anything that might be able to be done about it…but there was always a solution to any problem. Some of them just took a bit more lateral thinking than others. A heavy step heralded the arrival of another, and Blackthorn waved him over.
“I’m surprised to see you return and come calling once more, Lord Dupre. I had assumed that your own endeavors with the True Britannians had once again drawn you away.”
“I wish that I were in those lands, where cold valorite and iron answered all problems. Not in this one where the nobles duel with words and propaganda.”
Blackthorn steepled his fingers together as he lost himself in thought, finding his way back to his original ideas of lateral thinking. “Dupre, I think perhaps that your answer isn’t all wrong. It just needs to be applied correctly.”
