[UO Herald] New Fiction! - In the Shadow of Virtue: Good Neighbors

[UO News]

In the Shadow of Virtue: Good Neighbors

Today was the first Ter Mur/Britannia summit since the completion of the Stygian Abyss outposts and Queen Zhah was saddened that she already had bad news to share. She studied the soft, non-distinct face of her guest trying to decide how to proceed. Humans are very hard to read, she thought. Queen Dawn was sitting across from her and staring into the reflection pool, watching the fish swim. The beauty of this indoor palace garden was blurred in Zhah’s mind by her melancholy. It was at once a meticulously preserved artifact of the once-great Gargoyle Empire and a constant reminder of everything they had lost. My people have lost so much, have paid such a high price. I wonder if we will ever have good news again.



More...

 

[RaDian FlGith]

I have to say...

Excellent piece of fiction!

It doesn't really tell us which side to choose, but on the other hand, it does give great background to the situation, and leaves the choice to us.

It also fills in the gap about Ricardo's madness, and I appreciate that as well!

Well done! I enjoyed reading it, and I look forward to the next installment!

 

[Coldren]

I agree with RaDian. Excellent piece of fiction.

 

[Mapper]

I agree with RaDian. Excellent piece of fiction.

And I agree with both of you, An enjoyable read!

 

[BeefSupreme]

And I agree with both of you, An enjoyable read!

And I agree with the agreement of the agreed parties

 

[Renyard Foxenwyle]

Wow am I the only person who felt the fiction was slapped together with little to no notice to the person writing it? It appalled me to the point that I actually revised the fiction to give it a little more flesh. Check it out and tell me what you think. Or not.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Wow am I the only person who felt the fiction was slapped together with little to no notice to the person writing it? It appalled me to the point that I actually revised the fiction to give it a little more flesh. Check it out and tell me what you think. Or not.

I don't know if you're the only person who thinks that, but given the detail and strength of the fiction, I'd hope you're one of a few in number.

This actually sets the tone for the event as it currently sits in the context of the game, and basically says "Right now there's no official side to choose to represent good or evil -- if ever there is going to be one."

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Well, when I think I have a decent chance of participating, I'll probably join the Bane side.

Why? Nothing to do with the current imbalance between the factions, but because the character I use for PvM was heavily involved in the Ophidian invasion and sees them as the aggressors (and Ricardo as the cause) and would likely be swayed against them by human forces.

Does that mean he may end up on the "wrong" side in the long run? Maybe but it will be fun to play with the repercussions of that decision when it happens.

 

[Deb]

I agree, awesome read!! Can not wait for next chapter.

 

[sablestorm]

I enjoyed the fiction! I was curious as to Zhah's stance on the virtues. The gargoyles themselves have their own octet of virtues. Will their virtues ever be referenced or play a larger part in the storyline?

 

[maroite]

Anyone else get this strange feeling that trying to "connect" with Queen Dawn is like trying to bait a 5 year old with the promise of vegetables for desert? ...

Reading that made me dislike Dawn even more.

 

[DevilsOwn]

(my take) Dawn is a soldier and she doesn't enjoy this role of 'Queen' anymore than some of her subjects like seeing her there. I only hope that I'm in attendance when she finally has enough of 'politikin' and drops the mask of genteel lady.

 

[northwoodschopper]

wow, didn't realize that dawn was so annoying...

 

[G.v.P]

So the Bane may be Chaos, may be Minax, may be both.

However, the one snag in the line for me is the fact that the Gargoyle Queen doesn't know what Ophidians are yet she knows who Ricardo is. That just doesn't make sense really. How can you know Ricardo and not know about the Ophidians? Now, maybe the Garg Queen wouldn't know the Ophidians' intent, but still, she should be aware of what is one of the other major races in the game.

 

[Trebr Drab]

Anyone else get this strange feeling that trying to "connect" with Queen Dawn is like trying to bait a 5 year old with the promise of vegetables for desert? ...

Reading that made me dislike Dawn even more.

British never fumbled around with doubts like that. At least not until....Trammel!

 

[northwoodschopper]

So the Bane may be Chaos, may be Minax, may be both.

However, the one snag in the line for me is the fact that the Gargoyle Queen doesn't know what Ophidians are yet she knows who Ricardo is. That just doesn't make sense really. How can you know Ricardo and not know about the Ophidians? Now, maybe the Garg Queen wouldn't know the Ophidians' intent, but still, she should be aware of what is one of the other major races in the game.

exactly... how could she know ricardo yet not know anything about the how orphidian wars?

the bane chosen do seem like the wyrm guard in Ultima 9. can kinda see where the bane is going with this.

 

[Trebr Drab]

exactly... how could she know ricardo yet not know anything about the how orphidian wars?

the bane chosen do seem like the wyrm guard in Ultima 9. can kinda see where the bane is going with this.

What are the Wyrm Guard? In Ultima, the Ophidians (humans) who followed the Serpent of Order remind me very much of the Crimson Dragon people/dragons of recent events. I'm wondering about a connection somehow. I could be way off though.

 

[northwoodschopper]

What are the Wyrm Guard? In Ultima, the Ophidians (humans) who followed the Serpent of Order remind me very much of the Crimson Dragon people/dragons of recent events. I'm wondering about a connection somehow. I could be way off though.

the wyrmguard were basically followers of chaos who wanted to enforce the guardian's rule.

basically like chaos dragoons, really. i'm just wondering where they are getting their constant supply of dragon armor from, that stuff's not exactly easy to make.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

So the Bane may be Chaos, may be Minax, may be both.

However, the one snag in the line for me is the fact that the Gargoyle Queen doesn't know what Ophidians are yet she knows who Ricardo is. That just doesn't make sense really. How can you know Ricardo and not know about the Ophidians? Now, maybe the Garg Queen wouldn't know the Ophidians' intent, but still, she should be aware of what is one of the other major races in the game.

I would guess that it means that Ricardo has been to Ter Mur, and that he was involved in something (as yet unrevealed) there as well.

One can certainly encounter a person who has been involved in something major without knowing anything else about them.

From an IC standpoint, there is not a strong, solid flow of information between Britannia and Ter Mur yet, as evidenced by the fiction.

 

[Gildar]

However, the one snag in the line for me is the fact that the Gargoyle Queen doesn't know what Ophidians are yet she knows who Ricardo is. That just doesn't make sense really. How can you know Ricardo and not know about the Ophidians?

In Britannia, people assume that is common knowledge, so they wouldn't have spoken about it very much.
The fact that Ricardo was a thief, was pardoned by Dawn, went mad, and searched for the vault, however, would have been easy to find out (and necessary to find out for anybody who helped search for the vault).

The use of Ricardo's information by people helping Dawn find the Vault could very easily be mis-reported as Ricardo being an advisor to Dawn.

 

[Mark_Mythic]

Thank you for the kind words, those who offered them.

I'm happy to see all the discussions about character and plot. Whatever crude skills I may have at writing, the goal is always to stimulate the imagination and give you something to be a part of in UO.

 

[Tina Small]

Dumb question here, but Dawn said: "I have been advised that any official military action against these 'Bane' adventurers would be 'unpopular.' The last thing I want right now is to create yet another faction within Britannia… some kind of 'Anti-interference with the affairs of the Lost Lands' faction."

Who would give Dawn advice along those lines and which currently recognizable groups would be likely to advocate for no interference in the affairs of the Lost Lands? What exactly IS the official status of the Lost Lands with respect to Britannia?

I'm afraid I'm lost once again and need some help catching up on some history.

 

[G.v.P]

Thank you for the kind words, those who offered them.

I'm happy to see all the discussions about character and plot. Whatever crude skills I may have at writing, the goal is always to stimulate the imagination and give you something to be a part of in UO.

People have to disassociate the author from the fiction unless the facts are completely borked, and the author can make characters say the wrong facts or provide misinformation, as Gildar suggests could be a possible scenario. In that case, readers have to understand the difference between the subject and the author's intent, hehe.

Anyway, fiction is great to play with but is heavily criticized by the users of Ultima since interpretation is influenced by all those existing arcs and the lore of the single player games.

 

[Mark_Mythic]

Dumb question here, but Dawn said: "I have been advised that any official military action against these 'Bane' adventurers would be 'unpopular.' The last thing I want right now is to create yet another faction within Britannia… some kind of 'Anti-interference with the affairs of the Lost Lands' faction."

Who would give Dawn advice along those lines and which currently recognizable groups would be likely to advocate for no interference in the affairs of the Lost Lands? What exactly IS the official status of the Lost Lands with respect to Britannia?

I'm afraid I'm lost once again and need some help catching up on some history.

I won't answer all the questions here, but I will answer some. The Lost Lands are not part of Britannia in the sense that Dawn has any formal authority there. It is in the world of Sosaria. The lost lands just have small communities like Papua, there is no over-arching government like in Ter Mur or Tokuno. Papua is friendly with Britannia like Ocllo but it is not owned by it.

As for the politics, these were left vague on purpose and I think it would just distract from the point to expound on them at this time. Suffice it to say that she spoke truthfully and she has made her decission to not send the guard. What is most important is to know that if you get involved in the conflict, you do it by your own conscience.

 

[BeefSupreme]

I won't answer all the questions here, but I will answer some. The Lost Lands are not part of Britannia in the sense that Dawn has any formal authority there. It is in the world of Sosaria. The lost lands just have small communities like Papua, there is no over-arching government like in Ter Mur or Tokuno. Papua is friendly with Britannia like Ocllo but it is not owned by it.

As for the politics, these were left vague on purpose and I think it would just distract from the point to expound on them at this time. Suffice it to say that she spoke truthfully and she has made her decission to not send the guard. What is most important is to know that if you get involved in the conflict, you do it by your own conscience.

Browncoats?

 

[Lore Denin (GL)]

Dumb question here, but Dawn said: "I have been advised that any official military action against these 'Bane' adventurers would be 'unpopular.' The last thing I want right now is to create yet another faction within Britannia… some kind of 'Anti-interference with the affairs of the Lost Lands' faction."

Who would give Dawn advice along those lines and which currently recognizable groups would be likely to advocate for no interference in the affairs of the Lost Lands?

"A Letter from Lore Denin, retired Commander of the True Britannian Forces to Queen Dawn.

Although currently retired from the armed forces, I hope that you take my letter and consider my words as the long time Commanding Lord, General in the Britannian Armed Forces, and Order Knight.

Queen Dawn, I strongly advise that Britannia not become involved in a war outside of Britannian borders when we struggle on a daily basis to maintain control of our own lands in Felucca.[OC: This is on Great Lakes Shard and this statement could vary from shard to shard depending where you play].

More importantly, the security of the Kingdom and the lives of the citizens are valuable beyond measure. To commit Britannian men and women to a cause we know nothing about is reckless, irresponsible and down right unvirtuous. To kill without righetous cause is nothing more then politically veiled murder.

My advice is to employ the royal spies. Infiltrate both sides of the war, find out what is really going on. If there is a danger to Britannia, its people or the Virtues then Britannia can act accordingly. Otherwise, I advise Britannia remain out of the conflict in any official capacity. I would strongly discourage citizens enticed by gold or reward from joining the ranks of either army and that they do so at their own peril."

Click Here to Follow what my forces are doing on Origin.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

There's one important thing I'm surprised no one's pointed out.

How did Dawn come to prominence?

By fighting against the Blakthorn (Chaos) led Juka Invasions, particularly in Yew.

What big villain did Dawn kill before her semi-retirement to the life of a Yew housewife?

Blackthorn, the founder of Chaos, in both its Good and Evil incarnations.

Surely she's feeling something right now, something more than Zhah saw, as we face a hitherto-unknown power . I'm betting her off-stage husband (and yes, we know she has one) has heard an earful or two about this.

Hopefully the writers of the fiction are keeping this in-mind.

-Galen's player

 

[Aurelius]

I would guess that it means that Ricardo has been to Ter Mur, and that he was involved in something (as yet unrevealed) there as well.

One can certainly encounter a person who has been involved in something major without knowing anything else about them.

From an IC standpoint, there is not a strong, solid flow of information between Britannia and Ter Mur yet, as evidenced by the fiction.

I doubt Ricardo has visited Ter Mur 'in person', but I do wonder about where his marvellous lantern came from, who made it, and what it might have been doing to the carrier. If it originated with 'Chaos' I'd not be too surprised if it influenced his mind and his decline into madness, and it certainly worked in the Abyss as well as the lost lands and Britannia - and the Bane popped up in the Abyss, and lost lands.

Since Zhah had heard of 'Ricardo the Thief' pretty recently, with everyone talking about the lost treasures, wandering around with copies of his lantern (into the Abyss especially, where Zhah's guards seem to keep a pretty close eye on everything happening), it's not too much of a stretch to think that when Dawn mentions something being stolen from the ophidians, Zhah's first though is the most 'famous' human thief she has heard of might have been involved.

It's possible that the gargoyles know of the ophidians - but simply don't know them by that name. Intriguingly, it almost seemed that Zhah at first thought they were yet another faction of the humans.

 

[Trebr Drab]

“My dear Dawn, who doesn’t know about Ricardo and his research into Lord British’s Vault?”

“So, this man Ricardo, some of my reports say he is a thief but some say that he is your advisor. Would you be willing to explain that to me?”​

It seems to me that Zhah only knows of Ricardo through reports from Britannia.

Something of interest is the madness that takes people. Inu, Ricardo, who else?
And when we heard voices after casting "armageddon", I think that was the same madness, only to a lighter degree.
So, madness and blackrock? Maybe, or maybe it's what blackrock does, or allows, that causes the madness.

I'm starting to think that "the mythical land of Blackrock" may be very.