3. Instead of destroying and rebuilding a town, why not build ones that ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, Big glaring example is Paws, instead ofa city....all that is there is some derelict buildings and a swamp. Yes, there is supposed to be a city there.
Paws was never a 'city' in the single player games. At best, it was a small shanty town southish of Britain. In reality, Paws was supposed to be Britain's slums where all the poor people lived. It was intended to show that simply
saying you were all Compassionate and Virtuous wasn't enough, and that there were still less fortunate people in the world.
Very few people in UO even get that that those 4 buildings are supposed to be Paws. No need to rebuild it, just revamp it (along with ALL Britannian cities) to better reflect the Virtue they are
supposed to represent. Even slipping in a bit of the anti-virtue would be appropriate, especially since we are moving into Guardian territory...
I don't know, in u6 paws seems downright quaint and nice. I honestly don't remember in U7, but that was a really dark game if I recall so there ya go.
What is the city u listed in 3 "Paws"?
Paws is either a small city, a hamlet, or a collection of shacks, depending on what game you're referencing. It is south of Britain on the road to Trinsic. It is one of the "minor" towns not associated with a virtue, just like Vesper ( Which in U7 had a significant gargoyle minority, btw). In several games it is the home of Dr. Cat, who is a character of an RL associate of LB I believe. Apparently both in RL and in character he is obsessed with cats.
We don't know where Paws is in UO. From the cardinal Ultima games, the location varies....(From the
Ultima Wikia)
A village nestled on a cove near the southern edge of the Fens of the Dead, midway between Britain and Trinsic, Paws provides food and shelter for the traveler, as well as a change of horses.
- from Book of Lore (Ultima V)
This quaint coastal village lies halfway between the towns of Britain and Trinsic, where the weary traveler can obtain food, shelter and a change of horse. The mysterious islands known as the Fens of the Dead can barely be seen offshore near Paws. In these Fens, mages ofttimes seek the rare mandrake root and nightshade so necessary to their potent concoctions.
- from Compendium (Ultima VI)
Paws is a small coastal village that, because of the continuous expansion of the capital city, has essentially merged with Britain. While there was a time when this village held a quaint rustic charm, in more recent years the village of Paws has languished in poverty. A terrible, seven-year drought has forced the closure of many of the local farms. The industry of Paws consists primarily of milling flour, dairy farming and meat curing. Paws is where The Fellowship runs its shelter for the poor.
- from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)
In the small farming community of Paws, the fall of The Fellowship had one regrettable consequence: the closing of Feridwyn's shelter for the poor. Though embittered by the loss, Feridwyn and his wife are hard at work raising the money necessary to reopen the establishment, this time without the policy of exclusion to non-Fellowship members.
- from A Safe Passage Through Britannia (Ultima Underworld II)
Never was there a sadder tale than that of the village of Paws. Once a steady farming community, Paws was washed away in the Great Cataclysm. All that remains are a few unsteady huts clutching at the fringe of the muck. To this fetid place, the mayor of Britain has sent the sick, the tired, and the poor wherein he claims they might live in peace and dignity. It is a cruel joke. While the citizens of Britain enjoy their freedom from sickness and poverty, the people of Paws call for their king whose attentions have been occupied by other matters. Promises of food and tools from Britain have yet to be fulfilled.
- from Journal (Ultima IX)
So it varies depending on the game, the various Cataclysms and reshaping of Sosaria, and the time frame.
It could be those buildings south of Britain, according the Ultima VII, or it could be half way between Britain and Trinsic, along the coast and near some Islands, called the
Fens of the Dead, according to Ultima's V and VI.
In UO terms, and in the later case above, the coastal area south of our Britain/Trinsic bridge is near the set of Islands that include Marble Isle, where there's an entrance to The Lost Lands. This might be an important point because of the connection between the Lost Lands and the FOA, who were associated with the story of Crawworth.
Some points of interest in UO's storyline about this....
- Crawworth was the last survivor of Paws.
- Paws was destroyed by Orcs.
- Crawworth was but a child, and saved by the Warrior Hartham, the head trainer of the Trinsic Fighters Guild.
- Hartham adopted Crawworth and trained him.
Then the whole FOA affair started with the assassination of Hartham. Why him? The only things that seem important about him was Trinsic (the Juo'Nar affair), and the necklace he wore. That necklace passed down to Crawworth. The FOA cast a spell said to be the Armageddon Spell, but failed (if it was really that), and opened the various entrances to the Lost Lands. One of which is on Marble Isle, which could have been one of the Fens of the Dead in other Ultima universes (shards), near Paws (if our Paws was half way between Britain and Trinsic).
What about Paws? Why was it attacked by the Orcs? What connection between Paws and Hartham that led him there in the first place? Hartham had a message that he brought, a diplomatic message from the way he spoke..
"Seems thou art the sole remaining citizen of Paws."
He thought for a second more before saying, "I am Hartham. Trinsic's finest have dispatched the Orcs. The Jugdath'Bru are but a stain now.
"Alas, thou art the only representative of Paws I am able to give this message to. If we could have arrived sooner I"
Hartham paused.
"Hast thou any family that lives? Perchance in another village?"
I shook my head.
"Then consider me your diplomatic escort to Trinsic. Being Paws official representative, you will need a guardian to protect thee in these troubled times."
Stratics Bio- Hartham
There's a long line of story related content in UO to one or more necklaces.
- The necklace that Juo'Nar stole from the monks he killed at the Shrine of Spirituality,
- The Necklace taken from Finth Desrin's wife after she was killed by Orcs while guarding a supposedly secret caravan,
- The Black Necklace he later returned with as a Liche,
- the necklaces that the kidnappers/assassins of Sir Duquelle,
- the necklace that Malabelle wore before Minax took it from he in Trinsic during the invasion,
- the necklace called "Mondain's Embrace" that Keeonian took from Minax and handed to Odric (who turned out to be the Shadowlord Ramuz)
Note that all of these necklaces had exactly the same description, with the exception of Juo'Nar's Black Necklace that had none. Gold with a black central gemstone.
Also, add to this list the necklaces seen in a workshop/room in Wisp Dungeon. These were silver with a "Dark Wisp Encrusted Gem" in them. You can see them today. There's 2 or 3 in the room. This room isn't far from the room that honors the fallen FOA leaders. Experiments? From just before the ruination of Ilshenar? Conquered by Mondain himself!
“All is for nothing. Mondain is Anilem.”
Well, I've strayed far from just where Paws was located. But I think it's clear that Paws was an important part of the whole story, in some yet to be discovered (or perhaps never to be) part of the whole. Yet, it once again brings up the question that's been asked since before UO went "live"....
Is Mondain Alive?
