Ultima (thing)

The Ultima Legacy

The Age of Darkness Trilogy

The original Ultima trilogy opens with the journey of your nameless hero's fight against the Triad of Evil: the warlock Mondain, his mistress (the witch Minax) and their daemon spawn Exodus. These early Ultimas offered straightforward objectives and a familiar setting on the Earth-like world of Sosaria. The few citizens of this world had little to say, and available weaponry was recognizable. Though lacking innovation, the Ultima framework was laid, and the course of the series was set in motion. Even in its earliest incarnations, the game contained the scope, detail, and the complexity of an epic.

The Age of Enlightenment Trilogy

Although it inspired legions of fans, Ultima III also stirred up controversy. Youthful Richard Garriott (still in his early twenties) found himself in the midst of an imbroglio over children who were suspected of engaging in devil worship as a result of playing the game. It was enough to make Garriott again rethink his approach to making Ultima. He decided the Ultima series needed to be more substantial and lasting, and with that in mind set the Age of Darkness Trilogy far behind him. Drawing on his positive Ultima experiences, he set forth once more - this time into The Age of Enlightenment. The medieval chaos of Sosaria gave way to a much more civilized, morally conscious world in need of a hero. That world was Britannia, and the hero was the Avatar.

The Guardian Trilogy

After the Gargoyles and humankind settled into an unstable alliance, Britannia enjoyed two centuries of relative peace. But soon a new threat appeared on the horizon, though most of Britannia's citizens didn't know it until the Avatar had already intervened. Only a few years passed in the Avatar's life on Earth, yet he returned to a very different Britannia. New architecture and technology reigned, and the world was much more crowded than before. And with the changing technology, people's thoughts were altered. A new, seemingly benign order called The Fellowship emerged, endorsing a new set of virtues. The Avatar only later discovered the nature of the organization, its cunning founder Batlin, and his omnipotent, evil sponsor, the Guardian.

The Guardian, a creature whose motives were entirely selfish and cruel, proved to be the greatest threat Britannia had ever seen. Using The Fellowship as a front, the Guardian made his servants create a magical gateway for him to pass through, which he entered and laid siege to the entire world. Only the Avatar was resourceful enough to stop his attempted coup.