Ultima VII: The Black Gate Nitpicks. (Minor Formatting Changes by Ganesh) Source: Here
Ultima VII - for most fans the absolute highlight of the Ultima
series, as well as the absolute highlight in the history of roleplaying
games. Ultima IX is inferior in all areas: In Ultima VII, you can explore the
world with vessels, moongates, horses, and much more. In Ultima IX, you may ask
Raven to take you to ten different locations. You can interact with the world in
almost every way you want; you can pick up, move, and use all items. In Ultima
IX, very many items are deemed "useless" and can't even be picked up.
You can
say that Britannia simply feels real in Ultima VII, because of the details and
the grand scheme of things alike. You face subtle problems like political abuse
and racism. The graphics, the authentic, living world...
Everything's perfect. Hence, "The Black Gate" also makes nitpickers happy! You
may finally take everything apart now.
- Ignorance of predecessors (24)
- Technical shortcomings (32)
- General problems (45)
The following 3 nitpicks are new:
- Sam's wagon
- Batlin and the power of blackrock
- Tourists and runes
Ignorance of predecessors
- In Ultima VII, we learn who the killers of Marney's mother's
really were, amd they are completely different from who we were told they were
in Ultima VI.
(by Hyena of Ice)
- The storyline of Ultima VII has one big drawback: Ultima
Underworld I is completely ignored... For instance, where have the
people in Destard gone? Where are the ruins of the keep and other landmarks on
the Isle of the Avatar?
(by Hacki Dragon)
- Maybe it was the designers' intent to put the single virtues into
the background in Ultima VII, but it would have been nice to get an explanation
why you can't meditate at the shrines anymore...
(by Hacki Dragon)
- What ever happened to Captain Johne? (Wasn't he
important enough to live longer?)
(by Hyena of
Ice)
- Why does Shamino not find the Ether problem
annoying as well, seeing as how he's a ranger/magic-user, and all?
(Granted, Shamino can't cast spells in Ultima VII, but he could in Ultima VI.)
(by Hyena of Ice)
- Covetous has suddenly become a mine, but in the
past, it was a crypt.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- A problem with the intro: In previous Ultimas, red
moongates only appeared when summoned through an Orb of the Moons.
Thus, the moongate which the Time Lord uses to return you to Britannia should
presumably be blue. Instead, however, it is red. What gives?
(by Evil_Freak Dragon)
- When you first meet him in Ultima VII, Shamino gives you your
pocketwatch, saying that you left it with him on your last adventure (presumably
Ultima VII). However, in Martian Dreams (which is unquestionably set after
Ultima VI, since the Avatar already has the Orb of the Moons), the
Avatar still had his pocketwatch.
I know, the Avatar may own than
one pocketwatch, but it's still interesting.
(by
Evil_Freak Dragon)
- On Terfin, the Shrine of Diligence (Exodus) is a gigantic statue
of a daemon. In Ultima VI, however, the Shrine of Diligence merely
showed a model of Exodus' head placed atop a pedestal.
(by Evil_Freak Dragon)
- Where is Seggallion? He isn't a native
Britannian, so it's entirely possible that he lives longer.
(by Evil_Freak Dragon)
- Paulette, a ghost girl in Skara Brae, looks very
similar to Seggallion's portrait in Ultima VI, and you even hear that her father
was a stranger from another world. Unfortunately, the game doesn't shed any
light on this mystery.
(by Ephemerides Dragon)
- Where is Beh Lem? Draxinusom is still alive after
all, and he is much older. Since we're just on this topic: Draxinusom is the
only gargoyle from Ultima VI still alive. Obviously, the Gargoyles,
too, have a law that requires important people to live longer.
(by Evil_Freak Dragon)
- Okay, this is nitpicking, but in the search for completeness: In
Ultima VII, you're told on several occasions that Dupre has been knighted since
your last quest. However, in Ultima VI, Dupre is already referred to as
a knight during the intro.
(by Evil_Freak
Dragon)
- In Ultima VI, the books in the gargoyle world make pretty clear
that the wingless gargoyles can not speak (Beh Lem was
a young winged in case anyone wonders), yet in Ultima VII, they are all
speaking.
(by Sergorn Dragon)
- A bad mistake in the Book of Fellowship:
"There have only been two red Moongates in all of known existence - one used
by Lord British, and the other by the Avatar."
The author of
the book obviously forgot about the red moongate used by King Draxinusom
at the end of Ultima VI. Not to mention the red moongate Iolo, Shamino,
and Dupre used when they saved the Avatar from the Gargoyles at the beginning of
Ultima VI. Heck, the Avatar walked through red moongates all the
time in Ultima VI!
Damn Fellowship propaganda...
(by Tribun Dragon)
- How come you need a whistle to communicate with the
wisps? In Ultima VI and the Underworlds you don't need such a thing.
(by Shadow of Light Dragon)
- You have to wonder why Vesper's past from Ultima
IV is completely disregarded in this game. I suppose it's not a
coincidence that the town's called Vesper... or is it?
(by Dino the Dark Dragon)
- The Armageddon spell should actually not be mentioned in
the Book of Fellowship. Since when is it general knowledge? The Avatar
and his companions learned the spell from the Wisps in Ultima VI and most
certainly didn't tell the secret to anyone, considering Armageddon is
capable of eliminating all life in Britannia...
(by
Tribun Dragon)
- A book in Forge of Virtue tells us how to create Golems, and that
the author of the book was the one who created them in the first place. This
contradicts Underworld I, where we encountered Golems in the
Abyss.
(by Natreg Dragon)
- When you speak to Julia, she claims to have been working
as a tinker for just a short while, and also that she
"doesn't have
the patience to be a proper tinker"
and that she will probably give it up
soon. Ahem, she's been a tinker since Ultima IV, over 200 years ago!
(by Melchett Dragon)
- What happened to Julia's scottish accent from
Ultima VI? She seems to be a different person in each Ultima.
(by Melchett Dragon)
- In Ultima VII we're told that some magician made the magic
carpet. This directly contradicts Ultima V, where Monsieur Loubet got
the carpet to Britannia from his homeland.
(by Dino the
Dark Dragon)
- In every Ultima where Wisps are friendly, they will tell you that
they have a collective consciousness so much so that they have trouble with
understanding how humans don't have one. But in Ultima 7, they tell you that the
Wisp government sent them to find out about the Fellowship. Why
do creatures with a shared mind need or have a government?
(by Corwin)
- In previous Ultimas, the runes were small stones; in Ultima
VI you are told that they can be strung into a necklace. In Ultima VII, they are
huge stone blocks. Daver, the bellringer in Britain when you ask about runes:
"Magical little things. There's a symbol on one side and a letter on the
other. Probably spell something out if you put 'em all on a necklace. But that
hasn't been done in a long time."
You might argue that Daver was talking in a symbolic sense when he talked
about putting the runes in a necklace, but elsewhere in the game they are
indicated to be very small; e.g. in Jhelom a rat snatched the rune and carried
it into its hole, and in Skara Brae the rune was missing, hidden in a basket in
Marney's chest. In Ultima VII, the runes are much too large.
(by Crowley)
Technical shortcomings
- The young Gargoyles today really don't respect tradition! They
don't even use Gargoyle architecture for their houses in
Terfin!
(by Tribun Dragon)
- If the Shrine of Codex is a national monument, then why
was it redesigned between Ultima VI and VII? And where are the flames
of Infinity and Singularity?
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why does the prison cell in Yew have a lever to open a
secret wall? Not to mention the incompetence of the prison keepers by
leaving a corpse with 20 gold coins in the cell.
"Thou art sentenced to life in prison for thy crimes against Britannia!"
"No problem, I wilt simply pull the lever and use the 20 gold pieces to live
until I find an honest job."
But it's better than the Phase Spider trick.
(by Artic Blaze Dragon)
- Nastassia looks just like Katrina did in Ultima
VU ...strange!
(by Hyena of Ice)
- The designers forgot to adjust the Gorn dialogue after the
destruction of the Cube Generator. (Hmmm... is Gorn actually not
possessed by the Guardian? Maybe his blabbing is more meaningful than we
thought.)
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Hook seems to be keen on his ritual, but when he murders Alagner,
he forgets to pluck the candles into feet and arms.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- The big orrery in Moonglow has a small flaw... The planets in the
Britannian solar system, as we all know, circle around its sun. But the
orrery wants to make us believe that they circle around Britannia. Age
of Enlightenment? Bleh, Dark Ages!
(by Tribun
Dragon)
- Why does Jaana look younger in Ultima
VII than she did in Ultima VI?
(Her portrait in Ultima VI was really
horrible, so I guess nobody blames the designers for this inconsistency.)
(by Evil_Freak Dragon)
- The Vortex Cube has become considerably smaller
in Ultima VII.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why oh why is there a dangerous, tentacled sea-creature in
Lord British's moat in Ultima VII? Is he trying to kill his subjects?
Does he suffer from permanent paranoia?
(by
Angelo)
- Lord British goes to bed wearing his royal cloak and his
crown. Man, he should really relax for a while and take a
vacation!
(by Hacki Dragon)
- According to the Book of Fellowship, the Isle of the
Avatar is volcanic. However, there are no volcanoes there in the game.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- The Ferryman is evidently the only way onto Skara
Brae, yet it is possible to land the magic carpet on the
island!
(Perhaps, it's just a bug. The rest of the isle is covered with
debris to keep you from landing the carpet. But shouldn't they have discovered
that empty spot when testing the game?)
(by Shadow
of Light Dragon)
- There is a small flaw in the ending sequence of Ultima VII. As we
know, there are three small pillars around the Black Gate.
One's to the left, the other one to the right, and the third one behind. Now
when you have destroyed the gate, you only see two... Where has the third one
gone?
(by Tribun Dragon)
- In Ultima VII, Dungeon Deceit is located on Dagger
Isle. But it is meant to be on the small island off Dagger Isle, like
in all previous Ultimas.
(by Dino the Dark
Dragon)
- Why do the guards in Lord British's Castle not have their
own rooms in Ultima VII? Don't they ever go to sleep? What an
unrealistic game!
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why do hostile mages have no problems casting
spells, considering the huge problems with magic all over Britannia?
(by Timo Takalo)
- In Trinsic, autumn has already begun, while
summer still reigns in the rest of Britannia... How odd.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- In the Book of Fellowship, Batlin writes about Gargoyles
commuting from Terfin to Minoc. Hehe, the author of this had the wrong
torus world model in mind when he
wrote it. In reality, Terfin is too far away from Minoc, on the other side of
Britannia.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- An un-avoidable, but interesting inaccuracy: When you are about to
destroy the Black Gate and then choose to take another look at the orrery in
Moonglow, you'll notice that the planets and moons have not changed
their position into the neccessary constellation, obviously ignoring
the upcoming Astronomical Alignment.
(by Tribun
Dragon)
- Horance tells us that his domain, the Dark Tower, is constructed
of a mysterious substance that inhibits magic, which we all know to be as
Blackrock. But when you use Rudyom's Wand on the Dark Tower, nothing
happens. Shouldn't the whole fortress explode, since it's made of
Blackrock?
(by BlueClaw)
- Lord British tells you that healing is the only spell that
still works right for him. Yet, when he is assailed, he can
cast lightning bolts quite well in self-defence! Milord, thou hast lost an
eigth!
(God, I love this nitpick!)
(by
BlueClaw)
- As a nitpicker, you have to wonder why Armageddon destroys
undead creatures as well. They are already dead, so they shouldn't be
affected by the spell.
(by BlueClaw)
- Some confusion with names: Gorn's deity was previously referred to
as "Brohm", while in Ultima VII, he's named
"Brom".
(This is unquestionably the most important mistake
in the entire game.)
(by BlueClaw)
- What's the deal with the huge throne on the Isle of the Avatar? If
it's meant to be for the Guardian, then why would he just have a throne
in a tiny room, staring into a blank cave wall?
(by Azurio)
- In the manual, Batlin says it took many chests to carry
1000 gold. Well, in the game, it takes only one. It seems they've
significantly increased the capacity of chests during the last few decades.
(by Azurio)
- Why does Mikos (the mine supervisor of Minoc)
have no house? He sleeps on the ground next to a headless camp
for crying out loud!
(by Clat)
- The orrery in Moonglow is completely asynchrone.
It's supposed to display the current positions of planets and moons. Yet
the moons move with crazy speed. Shouldn't they move synchronically or
relatively to the real moons? Otherwise, the orrery would be pretty pointless...
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why can broken glass kill the Avatar even when he
wears magic boots?
(by Corwin)
- Sleeping customs in Britannia: The Avatar sleeps in his
armour, while all his companions watch (never sleeping themselves, or
not on a bedroll anyway). Isn't that strange?
(by
Erk)
- Sasha the young gypsy speaks with a heavy gypsy accent, as all
gypsies in Britannia do, often enunciating his w's as v's instead. Throughout
his entire speech he speaks with an accent, but then, when he starts rattling
off about the philosophy of the Fellowship and all its wonderful tenets (which
just coincidentally happens to be the same as nearly every other Fellowship
member's throughout the game) he loses his accent entirely, speaking like any
normal Britannian would. This remarkable change in spoken language cannot go
unnoticed. Perhaps the Fellowship should resort to teaching English lessons,
since they have such fantastic results.
(by
BlueClaw)
- This is probably a result of an engine limitation, but in Ultima
VI, the big ships you could buy had multiple sail rigs and mounted cannons. The
ships in Ultima VII are nothing more than single-sailed longboats, and combat
from them is fought with whatever weapons the party has in hand. A step
backwards in Britannian naval technology?
(by Withstand
the Fury Dragon)
General problems
- Where exactly is Gorn's homeland? From what Gorn
tells you in Ultimas V, VI, and VI, it sounds as though his homeland exists in
another world outside of Britannia, yet Beverlea in Paws has one of his baby
toys.
(by Hyena of Ice)
- It was stated in the Ultima IV manual that the poisoning from
toxic marshes is due to toxic gases. So why is it then that wearing
Swamp Boots prevents poisoning? In fact, even Tseramed
mentions that marshlands are dangerous because of toxic gases.
(by Hyena of Ice)
- Why can Jaana, Lord British, and in fact everyone
else cast spells without spellbooks or reagents all the time?
(by Natreg Dragon)
- Geoffrey must really be satisfied with his job. He has been Lord
British's chief of guard for more than 200 years now, and he says that he
hardly leaves the castle! What a boring life!
(by Hacki Dragon)
- The beginning of the game: A mighty being, unknown so far,
threatens the Avatar. Then a moongate opens up in the garden. The Avatar
looks at his Orb of the Moons, then walks through the moongate
without taking the Orb with him! Need I say more?
(by Hacki Dragon)
- I can imagine the situation of the designers when they noticed
that the Avatar most certainly wants to tell Lord British about the
Guardian as soon as his existence is indicated. They must have been
quite clueless, so they gave up and solved the problem with a single dialogue
line with a bored Lord British telling the Avatar that he should collect more
proof. His Majesty aren't a big help...
(by Hacki
Dragon)
- Maybe Alagner should have included the following line in his
notebook:
"If I become a victim of the Fellowship myself, then the reader of these
lines must give my notebook and all proof against Batlin to Lord British."
The Avatar obviously thinks that Lord British hasn't
got time to take a detailed look at the notebook...
(by Hacki Dragon)
- Sorry, but the married life of Iolo and Gwenno is just
hilarious. He goes adventuring all around Britannia, risking his life
in daily fights against beasts, while she undertakes an expedition into an
unknown world without telling her husband first! When do they actually see each
other?
(by Hacki Dragon)
- Magic receives its energy from the ethereal waves, which Blackrock
can block. Large amounts of Blackrock can therefore block magic, as you can see
later in Underworld II with the Blackrock Dome. In Ultima VII, however,
magic works fine in Covetous...
(This flaw is even more
severe because there are anti-magic areas in Ultima VII, so it would
have been easy to implement by the programmers.)
(by
Paulon Dragon)
- How is it that the Avatar has an up-to-date map of
Britannia upon his arrival in Trinsic?
(by
Hyena of Ice)
- How is it that the Avatar's pocketwatch is still
working after 200 years in Shamino's hands?
(by
Hyena of Ice)
- How comes Jaana has just as much trouble casting magic
even after you fix the Ether?
(by Hyena of
Ice)
- In Cove, Lord Heather says that Nastassia is the only person
without a lover. However, there is no evidence that Rudyom has a
lover, either... (Granted, that's very nitpicky, but, oh well.)
(by Hyena of Ice)
- Who brings the Avatar to Britannia? The Guardian
appears on the Avatar's monitor and taunts him, which is what prompts the Avatar
to return to the circle of stones, where he finds a red moongate waiting. This
would seem to imply that the Guardian brought the Avatar to Britannia. But later
on, the Time Lord says that he summoned the moongate
that took you to Britannia. But even if he did, it's extremely unlikely
that you would have found it if not for the Guardian's appearance. What
is going on here?
As this is a major aspect of the plot, we might assume the designers
deliberately left this question open. Perhaps the Time Lord used the Orb of the
Moons to create the gate to Earth. And perhaps the Avatar leaves behind the orb
so that
1. The Time Lord might have the opportunity to create a gate
back once the quest is over,
2. To avoid the possibility of a problem occuring bringing the Orb of
the Moons through it's own gate when going between dimensions/whatever,
and/or
3. so that someone may follow him if he fails - he's had years
to write a note or tell other people what to do if such a thing might happen -
the whole Guardian thing would be creepy enough to want to take precautions like
that.
On the other hand, you could also put it this way: The Avatar looks at his
Orb of the Moons and notices that it's glowing. This indicates
that someone from Britannia calls for him, and that's why he walks to the circle
of stones. As for the Guardian appearing on his screen... Well, maybe the
Guardian notices that the Time Lord has summoned a red moongate on Earth, and so
he seeks to contact the Avatar as soon as possible, to try scaring him
away.
Anyway, the creators of the game chose to leave us wondering about what
really happens, and even though you could come up with dozens of further
theories to explain it, I'm afraid it won't ever be solved.(by Evil_Freak Dragon)
- In Forge of Virtue: How did Exodus' Psyche free
itself from the Shrine of Diligence?
(by
Evil_Freak Dragon)
- At the end of Ultima VII, if the Avatar wanted to go home and
still prevent the Guardian from entering Britannia, couldn't he have gone
through the Black Gate and then had Shamino or someone else use the wand
to destroy it after he went through?
(by
Angelo)
- Why doesn't the wise and noble king provide the Avatar
with a room in Ultima VII? After all, he does in Ultima VI and even
IX...
(by Angelo)
- If you follow the instructions for viewing the Codex, why
can't you view the Codex?
(by Shadow of Light
Dragon)
- If the Abyss did really erupt (as the manual says), then this
event must have destroyed the Shrine of Codex as well. Despite
of this, the Shrine has been left untouched.
(by Tribun
Dragon)
- It's a bit strange that only mages become mad in Ultima VII.
Actually, it should strike all magic-users...
(by Tribun Dragon)
- The Fellowship wants to murder Lord British. Just
how do they plan to do it? Lord British is the most powerful mage in Britannia
and invulnerable! (Makes you wonder if Hook knows the trick with the sign...)
(by Tribun Dragon)
- The book in Forge of Virtue about the Stone of Castambre appears
to have been written after the Isle of Fire sank (it says something
about how the Isle disappeared), whereas the golems were obviously built
(using the book) before the isle sank.
(by Tailrace Dragon)
- Why are there are suddenly a wall and a massive door at
the Shrine of Codex? And why didn't anyone notice it before? It's
unlikely that the wall was built by Britannian authorities, as only the
Fellowship has the key...
(by Tribun Dragon)
- In the Book of Fellowship, it is stated that the Codex
shrine is a national monument and is under armed guard day and night.
However:
1.
There are no visitors.
2. The Stone Guardians only allowed people on quests to
aproach the shrine. (Of course, it's as strange that the Avatar can walk to the
shrine without any problems, as I'd like to add. Perhaps it's all because the
Codex is gone.) This certainly might explain the previous point a to some
extent, but still, there should be pilgrims on the isle.
3. There are no guards.
(by
Artic Blaze Dragon)
- In the Book of Fellowship, Batlin writes that you can
visit the ruins of Blackthorn's Palace on Terfin.
Unfortunately, you can't. Too bad.
(by Tribun
Dragon)
- Isn't it strange that you can't get Lord British to talk about the
scroll of Gwenno, in which she mentions Serpent Isle? It even
states that she had talked to the king about it.
(by
Tribun Dragon)
- Why can't you tell Caine that the mayor gave him the wrong
mixture? Telling Caine that he isn't guilty all alone would certainly
be a good deed, right?
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why isn't Erethian affected by the mage madness?
(by BlueClaw)
- Why did Lord British and Draxinusom put the lenses in the
museum, where everyone can steal them (which we are gonna do in Forge
of Virtue)? Those lenses represent access to the infinite wisdom of the Codex.
They are supposed to be locked up night and day by the kings, aren't they...?
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why is Batlin so receptive to the Avatar? Batlin
knows the Avatar won't approve the Guardian, he knows the Avatar is the greatest
danger to his plan, he knows the Avatar's history of defeating elaborate
plans... why allow him to join the Fellowship, go into the retreats, carry
confidential messages? What was he planning? Is it just Bad Guy
Syndrome (like the James Bond villains who need to explain
their plans before setting a complicated death trap in motion)?
It just seems that it would make more sense if Batlin tried to stop the
Avatar's progress instead of just watching him conduct such a delicate
investigation. He could have done all kinds of things to stop the Avatar...
least of them to tell the people of the shelter in Paws to stop helping the guy
everytime he is close to death.
Maybe the Guardian wants the Avatar alive, but he certainly doesn't
want him to destroy the Black Gate.
(by
Maximus Dragon)
- The Book of Fellowship speaks about wars in Britannia in
the time between Ultima VI and VII. We don't get to hear anything about
those wars in the game, neither will they be mentioned in any later Ultima.
(by Tribun Dragon)
- Why is Rudyom selling the Armageddon spell like it was
nothing? Yeah, he is crazy, but the Avatar or his party don't seem to
be worried. Think about it: Rudyom could sell the spell to any madman who wanted
to destroy Btitannia. Makes you shudder!
(by
Azurio)
- Does anyone in New Magincia notice that Alagner has been
murdered? I cannot seem to remember a crowd of people standing outside
his house, and I do not remember anyone mentioning his murder.
(by Elzair)
- If you tell Arcadion to kill a liche, he will
tell you that it is too powerful for him to kill. He has no trouble knocking off
Lord British or King Draxinousum, though.
(by
Corwin)
- It seems that it is a rather common practice for Guardian to speak
directly into the minds of those he deems particularily useful for his cause.
This may be a little odd. In The Black Gate, the Cube Generator was
required for Big G to speak to people in Britannia. It's strange how he
can speak to people in other worlds without any such device to transmit his
voice. Well, there's nothing to support the claim that there isn't such a device
somewhere on those worlds. Even more confusing: The Guardian did keep speaking
to the Avatar in Black Gate after the cube had been destroyed. Something is
amiss here...
(by Crowley)
- Rudyom's book "Observations of Black Rock" says that blackrock is
absolutely undestructable and can be melted or formed only by magic. But how the
hell do they mine the stuff in the mines of Vesper then? Their mining tools
don't really look so magical!
(by Trevor Clim)
- If you (almost) die, you are taken to Paws by, supposedly, Abraham
and Elizabeth. The strange thing is that after all the trouble you take to track
them down, your companions don't even bother to question them while you're
asleep...!
(by Dino the Dark Dragon)
- In Forge of Virtue, when you give Erethian the Scroll of Infinity,
he immediately proceeds to read and decipher it. Thing is, Erethian is blind! I
might need to investigate this further... Erethian says that his blindness
doesn't impair his abilities when you ask about it, but when you ask about books
or about the Scroll of Infinity, he says something like "If only I remember
where I put it...", showing clearly that he can't see the books/scrolls, let
alone read them. Heck, you even have to fetch the Scroll of Infinity yourself
because he can't see (after which you give it to him so that he can decipher
it... odd).
(by Dino the Dark Dragon)
- Upon awakening Penumbra from her self-induced centuries-long
slumber, she is immediately assailed by the damaged ethereal waves. Once you
place the blackrock pieces upon the four pedestals surrounding her stone bed
(which were positioned quite conveniently I might add, though one may argue that
her psychic abilities could have told her their construction was necessary 200
years ago), the material blocks the ethereal waves and her mental integrity is
restored. What I wonder is this: if the blackrock pieces actually do negate
magic, then how can she enchant the ethereal ring that the Avatar obtains from
the Sultan of Spektran's treasury, which I am presuming takes magic to enchant?
(by BlueClaw)
- Travelling through the realm on a pilgrimage from shrine to
shrine, I see that the shrines are dilapidated and decrepit, neglected by the
people. I go to Skara Brae, and see a desolate ghost town, a burned-out ruin of
a once thriving Town of Virtue. Then I wonder: just what the hell is Lord
British doing about all these problems? No wonder Britannia has a problem every
few centuries, it's because he never gets his posterior off his throne and does
something about it. Skara Brae has a particularly nasty liche garnering forces
to conquer Britannia; what does Lord British do?
He sits around doing nothing
(unless of course you count his affair with Nell), all the while the undead
amass and prepare to lay waste to the realm of the living. It's no excuse
whether he knows or does not know about the presence of Horance. From all
accounts, Skara Brae has been destroyed for a great many years...more than
enough time for Lord British to send a party to investigate and see what has
occurred, and maybe - if he is such a great sovereign that represents the Eight
Virtues - work to restore the town to its former glory.
The same goes for the
shrines as well - they embody the Virtues that Lord British supposedly fought so
hard to bring to Britannia. Superb responsibility there, Lord British. Perhaps
he should keep his pen in his own inkpot, stop fornicating with other people's
fiances, and start focusing on the issues of the realm instead of himself. Just
ruler indeed.
(by BlueClaw)
- When you rescue Garok Al-Mat from the dungeon he says,
"Come
visit me in my house in the mountains, I'll sell you reagents!"
But he is
nowhere in Britannia afterwards.
(by
Gallara)
- This one follows up on the nitpick about Jaana's trouble with magic and
how it remains even after the ether is repaired. As we all know, the poor girl
gets tuckered out and has to rest after a simple healing spell. However, if you
temporarily kick her out of your party (say, in the middle of a dungeon for
example) and start offering her money again, all of a sudden she's able to whip
out those heals and resurrects like crazy. Yet, when you invite her back into
the party, she'll once again be "too tired" to do it for free. Perhaps the
Avatar needs to find more trustworthy companions? Where's Saduj when you really
need him?
(by Kane Magus)
- Sam talks about his wagon which he rides around New
Magincia to sell flowers to people. However, this wagon does not appear anywhere
in the game, and there is no mention of it being sold or destroyed.
- If you speak to Horance while he’s still evil, he says that he recently discovered that a “certain ore...if fashioned properly, can become the bane of the vaunted Lord British.” He mentions that he’s also used the ore for building his fortress. The game of course indicates that this ore is blackrock. Blackrock - bane of LB - Blackrock Sword. If Horance knows this, surely Batlin knows this through his own studies or through the Guardian, and therefore Hook could know this. Why then does Batlin not put this knowledge to some use, considering the Fellowship intends to murder Lord British? (by Derag)
- In the Book of the Fellowship’s traveller’s guide, Batlin uses the term “tourist” a lot. When you get to the part about the Britannian runes, he says that the runes might befuddle a casual tourist, and says they are beginning to fall out of fashion.
So the question is this: Where exactly are these “tourists” coming from, that they wouldn’t recognize the Britannian runic alphabet? They’d have to be coming from another planet, because Britannia is its own planet, isn’t it? Since the runes are still in use, anyone who can read would probably be taught how to read runes as well. The only signs you see written in the modern alphabet are Fellowship related signs... (by Green Bamboo Mystery Peanut)