Archive for the ‘General News’

UO General Announcements & Official News

Housing Issue

February 15, 2015 By: Larisa Category: General News

Housing Issue

Posted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2015 Feb 15 21:38 -0500 GMT
Good Afternoon everyone,

Due to the large number of houses going into decay we have turned off the Housing Warehouse until we can look into this issue further.  We will keep everyone informed as to when it will be turned back on as soon as possible.  Due to the holiday tomorrow we will not return to the office until Tuesday.

Have a great weekend,

UO Team

UO General Announcements & Official News

Publish 89 for TC1 Today

February 11, 2015 By: Larisa Category: General News

Publish 89 for TC1 Today

Posted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2015 Feb 11 16:24 -0500 GMT

We will be patching a new client and publishing Pub 89 to TC1 at approx. 1 pm today. Please check out all the bug fixes we have done and we look forward to your feedback. UO Team

Bug Fixes

  • The Demon Slayer property will be properly applied to the Scepter of Pride.
  • Using Spirit Speak will no longer interrupt the Inspire bard song.
  • Owner bound items will no longer bind when placed on mannequins, stewards, or vendors.
  • Blessed quivers and wing armor can no longer be obtained on abyss ruleset shards. Existing blessed quivers and wing armor will lose their blessed status.
  • The drop rates for some of the Prism of Light keys has been increased.
  • Players can no longer recall out of Blackthorn’s Dungeon in Felucca.
  • Runes marked in the “Cat’s Lair” in Britain will be properly named when created.
  • Dupre’s Shield can now be dyed using a metal dye tub.
  • Several TIDs erroneously containing the article “a” have been fixed.
  • Obsidian statues will no longer require 11 obsidian fragments to create.
  • Runes marked near the Yomotsu Mines will be properly labeled.
  • Runes marked near the New Haven Mines will be properly labeled.
  • Blessed items that were previously equipped will be re-equipped when a player double clicks on their corpse.
  • City Trade deals now have an auto-renew option that can allow Governors to auto-renew a trade deal so long as funds are available.
  • The size of the election gump has been increased to accommodate long names.
  • The end date and time has been added to city stones for nomination and election periods.
  • The number of mobs spawning in Moonglow Bay has been reduced.
  • Vanilla seeds can now be obtained from Juka Mages, Plague Beasts, and Kappa.
  • The Bascinet and Kamishimo have been added to the list of Blackthorn Artifacts.
  • New Magincia Gardeners will sell Gardening Contracts that will allow a New Magincia Gardening plant to be maintenance free for 2 weeks. Plants will require care after the first server maintenance following the expiration date listed on the plant. Gardening contracts can be used on a plant once every other month.
  • Impassable objects placed near the Chaos Shrine in Felucca will be placed in the nearby barrel. The barrel’s contents are deleted after five minutes or when the barrel becomes full.
  • Academic bookcases can now be engraved using a wooden container engraving tool.
  • Fixed an area where players could become stuck in the Trinsic area of Blackthorn’s Dungeon.
  • The spelling of Britannia has been corrected on the “Bank of Britannia: Trinsic Branch” sign. This will occur after two maintenance cycles.
  • Paralyzation can no longer be negated with stoneform boots.
  • The inaccessible pumpkin patch in T2A near the City of the Dead has been removed from Halloween pumpkin spawn.
  • Fixed issue where Grizelda the Hag was not awarding items with the correct magical properties.
  • Vice vs Virtue pets can now be resurrected without having prerequisite veterinary or animal taming skills.
  • Phoenix armor deeds must now be in the player’s backpack to redeem them.
  • A shield can now be equipped with use of the Bracers of Alchemical Devastation.
  • Vice vs Virtue match points for kills has been increased from 25 to 100 per kill, Vice vs Virtue occupation match points has been decreased from 50 to 20 per second of occupation.
  • When reagents from the Blessed Statue are removed and dropped into a stack of similar reagents the statue will now update its art to the empty version.
  • SA item properties correctly spawn on loot located in champ spawn areas.
  • Pets/mobs no longer follow attackable players when stealth.
  • Players may no longer charm changelings regardless of the mobs current form.
  • Engraving tools must now be in a player’s backpack to be used for engraving.
  • Engraving tools may not be used on items that are currently contained in a dungeon container or a town container.
  • Added silver bracelets, silver rings and crooks to the cleanup Britannia system.
  • Players may no longer use Tokuno dyes, Haochi dyes or natural dyes on the Virtuoso suit.
  • Re-forged ranged weapons will now have the proper Defense Chance Increase and Hit Chance Increase item property applied.
  • New loot system ranged weapons will now have the proper Defense Chance Increase and Hit Chance Increase item property applied.

UO General Announcements & Official News

Publish 88.2 Goes Worldwide

November 21, 2014 By: kirthag Category: General News

Originally posted at UO.com by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Nov 19 21:12 -0500 GMT

Greetings Everyone,

Starting this afternoon, the Japanese shards will get Publish 88 during their normal maintenance cycle. Please remember that this causes problems with character transfers until we have all the shards on the same server version.

On behalf of myself, and the UO Team, we would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. The office will be closed (except for GM coverage) on November 27th and 28th.

Click ‘More’ to see Publish 88.2 details
Huntmaster’s Challenge
The Huntmaster at the Skara Brae Ranger’s Guild now offers a monthly challenge for hunting various species throughout Britannia.
• Visit the Huntmaster NPC at the Ranger’s Guild outside Skara Brae to obtain a hunting permit via the Huntmaster’s context menu.
• Permits cost 5,000gp, the funds must be available in the player’s bank box.
• Trophies throughout the Ranger’s Guild indicate which species can be hunted, and include:

o Grizzly Bear
o Gray Wolf
o Cougar
o Turkey
o Bull
o Boar
o Walrus
o Alligator
o Eagle

• Double click on the hunting permit and target the corpse of a valid species to record the kill.
• The Permit will display the Hunter’s Name, Date of the Kill, Location of the Kill, Species of the Kill, and a measurement for the Kill.
• Taxidermy Kits can be used on the hunting permit to create a trophy for display.
• Return to the Huntmaster to submit a kill for consideration in the monthly competition.
• If a submission has the greatest wormeasurement for a species, the kill will be displayed on the trophy inside the Ranger’s Guild.
• If a submission ties the greatest measurement for a species the display on the trophy will not update, however the submitting player will be eligible for reward when the contest concludes each month.
• If a submitted kill has the greatest measurement at the end of the month, the submitting player(s) will get points for each submission to redeem rewards from the Huntmaster.
• Kills can only be submitted from the current month and year.
• The Huntmaster’s month will be updated on server maintenance, each new month the contest will reset.
• Rewards can be redeemed by double clicking on the Huntmaster, and include,

o A Harvester’s Blade
o A Horn of Plenty
o A Reward Title Deed: Huntmaster’s Champion
o A Sash – “Member of the Skara Brae Ranger’s Guild”
VvV Leaderboards
Leaderboards have been added to VvV.

New Horn of Plenty Items
A new house plant has been added to the Cornucopia.
• The house plant must be locked down to grow.
• The house plant will grow each day on server up.
• Once the house plant has reached its full growth state, it will produce fruit.
• Fruit can be harvested from the house plant by double clicking on it.
• House plants are maintenance free.

2014 Holiday Items
Characters that are at least 30 days old that log in between 12/1/2014 12:01 AM ET and 1/1/2015 12:01 AM ET will receive a randomly hued gift box that contains the following:
• New green, blue, or gold fireplace.

o Fireplaces can be ignited and doused by double clicking on the center piece.

• A grinder that can be used to grind various plant products.
• A steam powered beverage maker that can be used in conjunction with the cooking system to create new items listed in the “Beverage” section of the cooking menu.
• A Power Scroll Book

o The powerscroll book can hold 300 power scroll, no more of 99 than any specific scroll.
o The book be must locked down in a house in order to add scrolls.
o Stat power scrolls cannot be added to the book.
Vet Rewards
The following items have been added as new vet rewards,
• 1 Year

o Flesh Renderer Statuette

• 2 Year

o Crystal Elemental Statuette

• 3 Year

o Dark Father Statuette

• 4 Year

o Platinum Dragon Statuette

• 7 Year

o Sewing Machine & Smithing Press
• The Sewing Machine & Smithing Press are house-addons that can be used in conjunction with the tailoring and blacksmithy skill, respectively.
• The machines will hold 5000 charges of their respective tools.
• Add charges to the Sewing Machine by dropping sewing kits on the stool.
• Add charges to the Blacksmith Press by dropping smith’s hammers, sledge hammers, or tongs on the crates.
• Runic, Ancient, or specialty crafting tools cannot be added to the power tools.
• Security can be set on the power tool to limit who can use and deposit tools into the attached stool or crates.

• 15 Year

o Ethereal Hell Hound Mount

Bug Fixes & Misc Changes
• The crystal portal will now teleport players to the Trinsic Royal Bank instead of the Bank of Britannia: Trinsic Branch.
• Magic items generated from treasure chests have had their base budgets increased based on the difficulty of the treasure chest.
• The following items are now stackable: Grass & Snow Tiles, Dread Horn.
• Trade Crates will now accept 1000 stones.
• Paladins have returned to the City of Trinsic
• Lifestealers now have the correct karma.
• Delivering trade orders will no longer increase karma if it is locked.
• Treasures of Doom has been reactivated and extended until server up on 12/6/2014.
• During Governor elections “Governor, “ will be prepended to the name of the incumbent on the various voting gumps.
• Minor pigments can now be combined up to 50 charges.
• The Grinder can now work when locked down in a house
• Fireplaces now function as a fire source for cooking.
• Hunting Permits can no longer be used on living animals.
• Unused tiles inadvertently created by hunting permits will be deleted on server up.
• VvV Score Points have been reduced by a factor of 100 to accommodate their values in the Leaderboard gump.
• VvV Score points will be awarded on a 1:1 basis for guilds that win or tie the max points in a VvV battle.
• VvV Score points will be awarded on a 0.5:1 basis for guilds that do not win or tie the max points in a VvV battle.

UO General Announcements & Official News

Publish 88 to go Live on Nov. 20

November 16, 2014 By: kirthag Category: General News

Posted at UO.com by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Nov 14 21:43 -0500 GMT

Greetings Everyone,

We are publishing to TC1 this afternoon. We will be publishing this out to Origin and Izumo on Monday, 17th.  Publish 88 will go World Wide on the 20th.  Please make sure you check out all the new content and give us your feedback.

UO Team

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huntmaster’s Challenge

The Huntmaster at the Skara Brae Ranger’s Guild now offers a monthly challenge for hunting various species throughout Britannia.

  • Visit the Huntmaster NPC at the Ranger’s Guild outside Skara Brae to obtain a hunting permit via the Huntmaster’s context menu.
  • Permits cost 5,000gp, the funds must be available in the player’s bank box.
  • Trophies throughout the Ranger’s Guild indicate which species can be hunted, and include:
    • Grizzly Bear
    • Gray Wolf
    • Cougar
    • Turkey
    • Bull
    • Boar
    • Walrus
    • Alligator
    • Eagle
  • Double click on the hunting permit and target the corpse of a valid species to record the kill.
  • The Permit will display the Hunter’s Name, Date of the Kill, Location of the Kill, Species of the Kill, and a measurement for the Kill.
  • Taxidermy Kits can be used on the hunting permit to create a trophy for display.
  • Return to the Huntmaster to submit a kill for consideration in the monthly competition.
  • If a submission has the greatest measurement for a species, the kill will be displayed on the trophy inside the Ranger’s Guild.
  • If a submission ties the greatest measurement for a species the display on the trophy will not update, however the submitting player will be eligible for reward when the contest concludes each month.
  • If a submitted kill has the greatest measurement at the end of the month, the submitting player(s) will get points for each submission to redeem rewards from the Huntmaster.
  • Kills can only be submitted from the current month and year.
  • The Huntmaster’s month will be updated on server maintenance, each new month the contest will reset.
  • Rewards can be redeemed by double clicking on the Huntmaster, and include,
    • A Harvester’s Blade
    • A Horn of Plenty
    • A Reward Title Deed: Huntmaster’s Champion
    • A Sash – “Member of the Skara Brae Ranger’s Guild”

Vice vs Virtue Leaderboards

Leaderboards have been added to VvV. Leaderboards are accessed from guild menu.

New Horn of Plenty Items

A new house plant has been added to the Horn of Plenty.

  • The house plant must be locked down to grow.
  • The house plant will grow each day on server up.
  • Once the house plant has reached its full growth state, it will produce fruit.
  • Fruit can be harvested from the house plant by double clicking on it.
  • House plants are maintenance free.

2014 Holiday Items

Characters that are at least 30 days old that log in between 12/1/2014 12:01 AM ET and 1/1/2015 12:01 AM ET will receive a randomly hued gift box that contains the following:

  • New green, blue, or gold fireplace.
    • Fireplaces can be ignited and doused by double clicking on the center piece.
  • A grinder that can be used to grind various plant products.
  • A steam powered beverage maker that can be used in conjunction with the cooking system to create new items listed in the “Beverage” section of the cooking menu.
  • A Power Scroll Book
    • The powerscroll book can hold 300 power scroll, no more of 99 than any specific scroll.
    • The scroll be must locked down in a house in order to add scrolls.
    • Stat power scrolls cannot be added to the book.

Vet Rewards

The following items have been added as new vet rewards,

  • 1 Year
    • Flesh Renderer Statuette
    • Coral the Owl (Town Crier)
  • 2 Year
    • Crystal Elemental Statuette
  • 3 Year
    • Dark Father Statuette
  • 4 Year
    • Platinum Dragon Statuette
  • 7 Year
    • Sewing Machine & Smithing Press
      • The Sewing Machine & Smithing Press are house-addons that can be used in conjunction with the tailoring and blacksmithy skill, respectively.
      • The machines will hold 5000 charges of their respective tools.
      • Add charges to the Sewing Machine by dropping sewing kits on the stool.
      • Add charges to the Blacksmith Press by dropping smith’s hammers, sledge hammers, or tongs on the crates.
      • Runic, Ancient, or specialty crafting tools cannot be added to the power tools.
      • Security can be set on the power tool to limit who can use and deposit tools into the attached stool or crates.
  • 15 Year
    • Hell Hound Mount

Bug Fixes & Misc Changes

  • The crystal portal will now teleport players to the Trinsic Royal Bank instead of the Bank of Britannia: Trinsic Branch.
  • Magic items generated from treasure chests have had their base budgets increased based on the difficulty of the treasure chest.
  • The following items are now stackable: Grass & Snow Tiles, Pristine Dread Horn.
  • Trade Crates will now accept 1000 stones.
  • Paladins have returned to the City of Trinsic
  • Lifestealers now have the correct karma.
  • Delivering trade orders will no longer increase karma if it is locked.
  • VvV Sigil stolen stat is now tracking correctly.
  • Fixed issue with Runic Reforging budgets being incorrect.
  • House placement tool will now always display conformation gump

Enhanced Client Bug Fixes

  • Player profiles now operate correctly
  • Opening bank box for the first time no longer defaults to list view.
  • Fixed issue where vendor search gump would not function.
  • Fixed issue when a player’s primary target is more than 10 tiles away from the player many of their hotbar icons become un-usable.

UO General Announcements & Official News

Publish 87 Live on All Shards

October 21, 2014 By: kirthag Category: General News

GameOriginally Posted by Bonnie Armstrong to UO.com | 2014 Oct 20 19:10 -0400 GMT 

Greetings Everyone,

We will be publishing all shards starting tomorrow morning, all shards will receive Publish 87 during your normal maintenance cycles, European shards will get this tomorrow afternoon during their normal maintenance cycles.  Since we have been so late this year with Halloween and Anniversary rewards we have turned them back on.  The 17th Anniversary Gifts will be turned back on and can be claimed until November 18, at 11:59 pm.  Halloween Trick or Treating will be available until server up on November 19, 2014.  Treasures of Doom will continue until server up on December 1, 2014.  Enjoy everyone!!!

Halloween – Treasures of Doom

  • Visit the Research Camp located outside of the Dungeon Doom in Malas to learn about an archeological investigation. You can also resurrect at the camp.
    • Slaying monsters inside Dungeon Doom gives a chance for an Artifact of Doom to drop in the players backpack. Luck and creature difficulty will positively influence the chance at receiving an artifact of doom, being hidden will decrease the chance at receiving an artifact of doom.
  • Artifacts of Doom can be turned into the NPC at the research camp in exchange for,
    • [Your Character’s Name]’s Lantern of Light
    • Tincture of Silver – can be applied to weapons, spellbooks, and certain instruments to give a slayer bonus against creatures within Doom, while becoming vulnerable to undead.
    • Antique Documents Kit – crafting ingredient required for the crating of “Prophetic Manuscripts”
    • Reward Title Deeds – Usable deed that will grant the users various titles
      • The Atoned
      • Defender of the Living
      • Preserver of the Faith
    • Crook of Humility – A Shepherd’s Crook
      • Veterinary +10
      • Wolf Slayer
      • Spell Channeling
      • Intelligence + 10
      • Damage Increase -20%
    • Scepter of Pride – Scepter
      • Demon Slayer
      • Undead Slayer
      • Hit Stamina Leech 70%
      • Hit Life Leech 70%
      • Hit Mana Leech 70%
      • Swing Speed Increase 30%
    • Cloak of Light – Cloak
      • Hit Point Regeneration 2
      • Night Sight
      • Hit Chance Increase 5%
    • Boots of Escaping
      • Dexterity Bonus 4
      • Stamina Regeneration 1
    • Sterling Silver Ring
      • Meditation +20
      • Hit Point Regeneration 3
      • Mana Regeneration 5
      • Damage Increase 75%
      • Additional +20 skill bonus applied by double clicking the ring and selecting from the available skills
  • Prophetic Manuscripts
    • Craftable via the Inscription menu under “Other”
    • Requires ancient parchments (10), wood pulp (10), antique documents kit (1), and beeswax (5).
    • Failure will only consume ancient parchments, wood pulp, and beeswax.
    • There are 5 different prophetic manuscript texts, randomly assigned when successfully crafted.
  • Treasures of Doom will be available for a limited time during the Halloween season, and recur with various tweaks in successive years.

Halloween – Trick or Treating

  • Three new monster skulls have been added to Trick or Treating! Trick or Treating will be available during the remainder of the month of October.

Enhanced Client Bug Fixes

  • Switching to legacy containers no longer makes the contents invisible
  • Fixed odd visible lines above the targeting window
  • Vendor Search Gump now functions properly
  • Container auto loot no longer breaks after you use it for awhile
  • Disabled icons no longer prevent users from using spells/skills/actions on hotbar
  • Advanced health bars are no longer locked by default
  • Bug report window once again closes when submitting issues
  • Advanced health bar properly changes hue based on health bar state
  • Borders can once again be placed on hotbar items
  • Buff/Debuff Icons now properly scale with bar
  • Buff/Debuff icons no longer display over all UI elements
  • Maneuvering the atlas around the world no longer will crash client
  • Fixed long pause when opening containers
  • Paperdoll window, target window, buff bars, and status bar can no longer go outside of the game window
  • Default UI Scale is now set to 1 from 0.85
  • Enable auto run is set on by default
  • Main menu action is now on the hotbar for newly created user profiles

Bug Fixes

  • All players who are currently flagged as Vice vs Virtue participants will have a one time reprieve and the flag will be removed.
  • Non Vice vs Virtue players that find themselves in a VvV battle city will have a new option on the warning gump to teleport them to the nearest moongate.
  • VvV participation flag for non-VvV players will now be removed after 8 hours, or the participant is killed by a VvV player, whichever comes first.
  • The “Unwieldy” (Items with higher than normal weights) will no longer have a chance to spawn in MIB chests.
  • The loot in MIB chests will now have a higher base budget for creating magic items.
  • Some situations where traps and locks were being applied to containers inside of City & Justice regions will no longer happen.
  • Trade Quest crates will now be able to hold up to 550 stones and have 75% weight reduction.
  • Silver points are no longer awarded to VvV players when occupying a city.
  • VvV Cannon Turret cost has been reduced from 5000 to 3000 silver points.
  • VvV Trap cost has been reduced from 500 to 250 silver points.
  • VvV Mana Spike cost has been reduced from 2500 to 1000 points.
  • VvV Mana Spike effect duration has been increased from 20 to 60 seconds.
  • Trader Quest participants will no longer be able to sacred journey to a ship rune.
  • Trade orders should no longer have a chance to include items with duplicate names
  • Items inside a trade order crate will no longer be purchased by shop keepers.
  • Spellweaving summons no longer cause a player to flag as a criminal when they are attacked by a VvV player
  • Ship cargo containers will no longer be locked or trapped.
  • Certain items that had missing default names will no longer be improperly placed inside of a trade crate when using “Fill from Backpack.”
  • The “Unwieldy” property will no longer spawn on items that can be stolen from various containers.
  • Claiming an Alter and Returning a Sigil in VvV matches have been equalized.
  • The cooldown between gaining VvV match and silver points from kills has been reduced from 5 minutes to 2 minutes.
  •  VvV Players who are hidden will not count towards occupying a city.

 

UO General Announcements & Official News

Facebook Backpack Art Winners

October 02, 2014 By: petra Category: General News

GamePosted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Oct 01 19:19 -0400 GMT

Greetings Everyone,

I would like to take a few moments to announce the winners of the Backpack Art contest we had on Facebook recently.  If these people will get in touch with me at [email protected] and set up a time and date for me to meet you in game I will turn the houses over to you.  Please make sure you do not own a house on the account you are taking ownership of the house with.

Napa Valley Winner Character name Dartmoor
Sonoma Winner Character name Emilie Autumn
Yamato Winner  Character name Nougat
Wakoku winner Character name Capelito

Congratulations to all the winners!!!!

UO General Announcements & Official News

Publish 86.1 – Halloween Part 1

October 02, 2014 By: petra Category: General News

GamePosted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Oct 01 15:48 -0400 GMT

The following has been published when all shards during their regular maintenance cycles:

  • The Butchers are back! Visit graveyards throughout Britannia and slay the Butchers to have a chance at a Pumpkin Carving Kit.
  • Carveable pumpkins can be harvested in fields across Britannia. Watch out for the Grimms as you try to harvest a pumpkin!

Bug Fixes

  • VvV steeds can no longer be mounted while dead.

UO General Announcements & Official News

Famiportでのウルティマオンライン各種ゲームコード販売終了のお知らせ

October 01, 2014 By: petra Category: Asian News, General News

GamePosted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Sep 30 17:51 -0400 GMT

ファ ミポート(運営:株式会社ファミマ・ドット・コム)におけるウルティマオンライン関連製品(ゲームタイム、新規登録/拡張版コード、アイテムコード)は 2014年10月13日(月)23:59をもって、販売を終了させていただきます。長らくのご愛顧ありがとうございました。

なお、ウルティマオンライン関連製品はOriginにて引き続きお求めいただけます。

UO General Announcements & Official News

Return to Britannia Campagin Starts Wednesday!!

September 30, 2014 By: petra Category: General News

GamePosted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Sep 29 14:20 -0400 GMT

17th Year Dragon_600x600_0

Whether these are your first steps into Britannia or you are a seasoned veteran, King Blackthorn is delighted to welcome you! You are encouraged to visit the cities of Britannia and explore the various goings on. City banks are a hub for trade and socialization. Be sure to listen to Town Criers for the latest News, or check the City Bulletin Boards for updates from the City Governor. We also invite you to visit the Guild Recruitment stations in the cities of New Haven and Luna Bank as many guilds are welcoming new members!

While you are enjoying your visit to the lands of Britannia please check out the new Vice vs Virtue system. You can read more about this system and the other features of Publish 86 here. We have introduced Advisors in the world to help you with your questions and minor issues you might have in the game. When they are available you may contact an Advisor by opening your paperdoll and clicking on the help button, then select “Contact an Advisor” at the top. We have also been working with one of our talented players and created a sharp new UI for the Enhanced client.

If it has been some time since you last visited Britannia, we have added new sea adventures with our High Seas expansion which includes smooth boat movement, so be sure to go for a sail during your visit! There are also new house add-ons available via the King’s Collection booster pack, now you too can live like a King! There are many new encounters and features to experience, you can catch up on all of our past patch notes here.

If you are having trouble with getting acquainted with the game you can check out our Player’s Guide. If you are having trouble with the account management page or need help with changing out any credit card information we have video tutorials available to help you through the process of Updating Payment Information and Recovering Accounts. When you are ready to play simply download either the Enhanced or Classic clients.

Please note that Return to Britannia will begin Wednesday October 1, 2014 and continue for 30 days and end October 31, 2014

Thank You for playing Ultima Online! Long Live Britannia!

[ Discuss This Article ]

UO General Announcements & Official News

Remembering the Past…

September 29, 2014 By: petra Category: General News

GamePosted by Bonnie Armstrong | 2014 Sep 26 17:20 -0400 GMT

Author:  EM Drosselmeyer

Heckles poured the wine into two glasses, and handed one to each of the Kings. Lord British smiled to the jester while King Blackthorn gave him a nod, and the two returned to their conversation. “I must say, it is a surprise to find you have returned without Nystul’s aid. Where have you been for so long? Why has your return been delayed?”

Lord British took a sip and set the glass down, steepling his fingers slightly before speaking. “I have…admittedly been caught up of late with new adventures. I have traveled to the stars…leaving behind the trappings of earth for a time and feeling what it is like to truly be free of all constraints. And though she could not come with me, I have also found love…and found a bond that can never be broken. Looking back, I realize that all of my ponderings and thoughts and musings upon the natures of the Virtues have come back to me in such a profound new manner at having experienced such a wondrous thing first hand…especially after being able to bring new life into existence. Through it all, I have had the shards of the gem…but they are safely with Nystul, for now. I found that a return to Britannia was in order…and it seems that the realm has it’s share of troubles. Was that Sir Dupre I spied leaving as I crossed the upper walkways?”
King Blackthorn’s expression was bright and he could see the way which his friends face shone with exuberance as he regaled him of his journeys. “Yes, it was…he has been pushing himself hard of late, especially with Minax’s resurgence of power, but we seemed to have pushed her back…she had some new minion with her she called Shanty, and was using a shard of the gem to bring raiders through using lighthouses.” The King paused as he took another sip of his wine, continuing with a hint of pride in his voice. “She is not the only old foe to resurface, with Exodus having been loosed once more…though Dupre’s knights and the realms adventurers are keeping him at bay, we cannot seem to banish him anymore as I once did. We sought the cooperation of Anon, but despite his desire to be for the realm with his Council of Mages, it seems that his time alone has driven him even further into eccentricity and madness…and if reports are to be believed, his Council has been shattered by what remained of Minax’s forces, at great cost to her own. Felucca is in disarray, and mindless fighting and slaughter seem to be the order of the day.” A rueful smile tugged at one corner of the King’s lips as he took another sip. “You definitely didn’t come at the best time for a parade, I fear.”

Lord British’s expression was set and grim as he nodded along, and leaned in. “There may yet be something we can do.”

*   *    *

The goblet clanged hard against the stone wall, the messenger shrinking away from her wrath as she shouted. “DON’T BRING ME RUMORS AND LIES!” Shanty merely stood in the corner, watching as the scene unfolded between the spy and Lady Minax.

“B-but, L-lady Minax, it’s not rumors…I saw him myself, entering the castle a short time before Dupre left, as you asked me to watch Dupre and try and figure out where we could…”

“IDIOT! You think the knight is the biggest threat? He is a nuisance, an annoyance, and while I want him crushed like a bug you should have taken the chance and killed Lord British when you saw him!”

“I was on the castle grounds, and there are spells in place that…”

A sharp crack echoed through the room as her hand impacted the man’s face, sending him tumbling to the floor and leaving little trails of blood where her nails had dug into his face. “I don’t want your excuses you whelp. Leave. Now. Before I change my mind…And send Anon to me! We don’t have time to waste!”

*  *  *

“And the Ararat has resurfaced…troubling, but fascinating.” Lord British set the empty wine glass down. “It would seem that all the pieces have been…reset for a new board, and yet all is in disarray and arranged in the wrong places. Enemies surround the Kingdom, and…” Lord British paused, and gave a bit of a frown at hearing a commotion, and King Blackthorn stood and looked out to the courtyard of the castle through one of the windows.

“It seems that word travels quickly… and that the people wish to see if this rumor of your return is true. I think we had best indulge them before we have a riot, Cantabrigian.” King Blackthorn turned to lead the way to the throne room.

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