The Zog Cabal
by Ishtar
As I sit at my desk I decided it would be fun to write the guild master of a guild and ask him some questions, upon meeting Cear Dallben in the past I have spoken with him about the person he is, but not the guild he runs. With a determined look upon my face I sent him a correspondence and got my questions answered:
Ishtar: Please explain what the Zog Cabal does?
Cear Dallben: First and foremost I want everyone to know before this gets started we are a Role playing Guild originated and based on the Atlantic shard. Now here is what we do, as guild master to the Zog Cabal, I create and continue quests and plotlines that I develop or derive from Ultima online or previous Ultima Lore. I generally host quests by myself that put the Cabal in a single player game perspective to complete puzzles and achieve goals this in turn helps us achieve our over all goal. Which if your not familiar with is: Cast Armageddon to end all life on Sosaria and allow for a time of cleansing and rebirth.

Seriously, lets face it. Ilshenar is in ruins because we were cast out. we were stopped in earth date 1998 and now you’ve got utter madness. you’ve got Yew in decay with the elves doing nothing about it. Mondain’s evils are still roaming all realms of the multi-verse with nothing to stop them. The world is hurt. We are only trying to do what is best. If anyone found out about us again I’m sure they rather put us to an end and continue there wars to uphold virtue. Here is more information and visual aids as to what it is we do
Ishtar: How did you originate?
Cear Dallben: Well when Ultima was launching its first and best event ever in 1998 I was hooked. I had always been fascinated with Zog as seen in previous Ultimas and Armageddon. Now finally the Followers of Armageddon had been banished from Ilshenar to our land, now Felucca. Myself and my friend were obsessed with the chain of events. We were members of the Zog Cabal in a players perspective. We fought along side the Order of the Ebon Skull to defend the chests of blackrock from players. We had an awesome time and it was decided then we would continue the legacy forever.

When the events were over my only friend in Ultima took the role of Martoo Saul and I took the only other role possible, Cear Dallben, the only non captured cabalist. After weeks of searching and begging we obtained the FOA (Followers of Armageddon) guild stone and continued where our fallen leaders left us. For years we roamed the role playing community unannounced guised as wandering healers, the Zog Cabal’s front.

Eventually due to hazardous experiments with blackrock my dear friend Martoo expanded himself to infinite mass within a rift…..So I assume. I found one of those rifts in his home where his lab was and he was never seen again. Anyhow. After the fall of Brother Saul I snapped. I put the stone of the FOA into hiding and began recruiting in the darkness under title of The Zog Cabal. First there was bother Olan Zekai, Then Brother Toren Smythe. We have grown in the years. stronger every day. and smarter. we will not fail the next casting….
Ishtar: I know you have been around sometime, can you tell me why you feel you have survived so long?
Cear Dallben: That would have to be pure love. Even after 7 years of active and open recruiting we remain a small and dedicated guild. I try not to recruit well known people or those who are just guild hopping to find something new. Everyone I have beside me is a lover. A lover of Ultima, its stories and its creator, they are obsessed. Obsessed with Zog, the Zog Cabal, and our history and purpose. We will never dissipate. As long as there is a Sosaria we will be here. My members also spent with me over 200 man hours and endless days paging GMs until a bugged house was removed just so we could expand the settlement, so we are here to stay until the end…. we, will be the end.
Ishtar: In your opinion, what makes Zog different?
Cear Dallben: Our Guild Colors
Ishtar: What are the Zog Cabal’s future aspirations?
Cear Dallben: Well here’s what I’ve had my minds eye on from the beginning, and I mean beginning. In the end there will be one great war. In this war there will be one great battle. The psyche that connects all life, man, woman, and gargoyle…..The Very essence of fate, will lead all men to the vast plains of Ambrosia. Due south by north twenty miles, and Papua will continue war. Due north by south three miles, and Delucia will continue war, and both shall bear. And with Shame….to the east a group of dark scholars: the an-áilem with the an-ámo. The an-ámo-lem with the an-bal-sil-fer.
The an-ben and the an-eks, will stand high above all on mighty monoliths. And at last, and with great prize, it will be thru shear emotion that they are finally able to cast the spell. As they peer down on the squabbling and mewling races of Britannia, doves will fall bleeding in a circle around them. As they stare, one will shed a tear of hatred for mankind. One will watch with an empty heart. There will be tears on the faces of the women and the men shaking with anger when they turn into their full circle. They will look up, and to a single vertex above their heads the ether will gather. Then the earth will shake as the ancient rock is perspired, at this they will cast.
We will not fail Britannia as we did Ilshenar….it will survive.
Ishtar: If I were just an observer, what do you think I would remember most about the Zog Cabal?
Cear Dallben: You would leave the scene with an illusion. You would mistake their leader the Meer for an Umbran. You would recall those near by as out of place citizens with strange concerned look to them. The women laborers of some kind, toy makers and puppeteers. They would leave you as they greeted you, favorably. Unless you do not buy into the illusion…..
Ishtar: Can you tell me what you feel is the Zog Cabal’s biggest accomplishment?
Cear Dallben: Being such an amazing group of friends in character and out, sharing all of our wealth and information all of these years and benefiting more from it every day.
Ishtar: If you could change anything about the Zog Cabal, what would it be?
Cear Dallben: Nothing drastic. We’ve been going in the right direction all of these years. We could pick up the pace a bit I suppose. We’re looking in to getting more out loud about some events and we’re always trying to get EA to bring support back to the role players. If we can get that, the interest and the members will come back to UO and the role playing guilds. Which is really all we need I guess. Bring back the immersion back to UO, and The Zog Cabal is forced to prosper. We all would be.
Ishtar: What do you look for when recruiting?
Cear Dallben: We don’t really recruit. We greatly publicize what we do within the RP community and let the interested join us. Those who show great interest and dedication from the start. As of recent I have been marketing in the new player boards and such. Just looking for people who want to RP, letting them know we will kill them along with all life if they do not join us.
Ishtar: What else would you like to say about the Zog Cabal that you have not had a chance to do already?
Cear Dallben: Its called Blackrock, a really awesome player town which we consider a secretive settlement on the isle of the avatar in felucca. Right now it is composed of 6 homes taking up an entire peninsula with beach. The guild house, the Ziggurat, the Seminary, and the hallowed Anskitas, our hall of books and knowledge, are the most active buildings there. Here is a picture of our library
You can see much of the town and our guild at http://www.TheZogCabal.com
Oh and if you want to see the awesome cannon we have on the roof of our guild house its right here. It uses blackrock to fire, pretty awesome. It was a pretty good idea until Astaroth came around. What else…
I guess all in all you can count of the Zog Cabal being around until the end. Be sure to keep an eye out around the banks, and hope the guards come when you call them
DISCLAIMER: We are not a Zionist occupied government

 

The History of the Settlement of Blackrock

As told by Cear Dallben

 

It was six earth years ago that the first building was erected on the shores of the Isle of the Avatar. Three Zog Cabalists sailed shore on a December morning. They were Cear Dallben, Olan Zekai, and Martoo Saul. They were followers of Armageddon.

That building was purchased legally as to not raise questions, and is now the library / museum, Anskitas. Within a year two more building were constructed in proximity. One was the home of the leader, Dallben, and the other the Hall of Peace. Then a problem arose. The next home to annex belonged to a citizen of sosaria that many of us do not appreciate, and his legacy home simply would not go.

Four years went by….

Four years of endless paging of the gods

Four years of endless anguish

Then suddenly…The gods favored us….

Within the remaining time a ziggurat of sorts has been created and named, Temple of Xornite. All homes are chained together and held in secret. All land there is Blackrock, and Blackrock, is our home…

 

The coordinates for this location in Felucca are: 169o16’SW; 141o12’W.

Thank you Cear for allowing me the privilege to highlight this location.
Happy Halloween! I hope to all our readers this sheds light on a dark roleplay guild!
-Ishtar