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This game. When I was about 10 I saw this game as this huge complicated and amazing world where so many things could happen (I'd never encountered any of the Ultimas before). I never got anywhere but loved exploring what I could. Really excited to see what I missed out on in detail here.
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Mar 23, 2019 22:48
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Just seeing certain sprites is giving me nostalgia. I can hear some of the sound effects in my head despite not playing this game for 20+ years.
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Mar 23, 2019 23:38
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I've played all Ultimas from I to VII (not Serpent Island) and beaten all of them save II. This one looks like it has a lot of cool ideas while in practice being less cool, but still rather cool nonetheless. However, I'm not sure cool actually translates to fun to play. Fortunately, that's not an issue when reading this LP.
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Mar 24, 2019 00:25
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I think it was this game that started my love of games where you break into random houses and steal everyone's stuff, which is why I liked Morrowind. Actually advancing the story is highly overrated.
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Mar 24, 2019 01:00
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My screen recorder bugged out and lost all of the footage I recorded today. I didn't have a backup save to revert to (a mistake I will not make in the future). I am pissed. Luckily, it was 0 dialog and 100% dungeon exploration. I can simply run back to where the last recording stopped and record from there again. All that I've wasted is time.
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Mar 24, 2019 07:47
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For all the frustrations, I am really glad you're doing this LP. I played this as a kid and never played any other Ultima games, and I fondly remember putzing around and dying to poo poo just trying to figure this weird world out. I spent hours just exploring the town and nearby environs, but I never even learned any magic... so I'm interested to see where this goes.
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Mar 24, 2019 13:49
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Mythran Last update, we tried to use the powers of Necromancy to get access to Bentic’s journal. When that didn’t work, we decided to try seeking out Mythran.   Our first step is to take the North exit out of the palace and head due north, taking the exit to the Valley. You may remember this map as the place where we tested our sword by slaughtering some children. There’s much more to the Valley to see.  We start out with the guard tower near the city walls. Inside there is a box with an interesting book.  It’s actually the companion book to one we found in Bentic’s library. In that book, Honor Lost, a troll mystic recounts his confusion and sorrow at the descent of his people into savagery. The mystic saves a human child from becoming another troll’s dinner, and resolves to return the child to the human city. He hopes his kindness will cause the humans to listen to him. The Captain’s report crushes any optimism the reader of Honor Lost may have had.  Heading West, and then South…   We’re back, motherfuckers!  Heading NNW, we run into this man, tending a herd of torax.  Greetings Greetings, friend, I am Gwillim. How fare you? I’m fine, thanks. Good and welcome! It is rare that Corinth and I get visitors here in the valley. You don’t get visitors? Not very often. No one really has much cause to come up here, other than Shaana and Mythran. That is why I was so surprised to see you. Who is Mythran? Mythran is an old hermit who lives up on the plateau. Many people think that he sells magical scrolls. I do not know if that is true or not. Personally I doubt that there is anyone who does such a thing. The Titans are the only magic in the world. I believe that Mythran is just an eccentric old man. Who is Corinth? Corinth is my wife. She is a fine lady, too. Corinth works hard every day, never complains, and has been a good mother to our son, too. She sounds like a fine lady. Oh she is. She certainly is. Where is your osn? Cyrrus, that’s our boy’s name, joined the Theurgists not long ago. My wife was very proud of him. She has always said that Cyrrus was a natural healer. But make no mistake, we are law abiding folk here. We also honor Hydros as Her Ladyship does command. Her Ladyship? Our ruler, Lady Mordea. You need not pretend that you do not know The Lady. But be assured that I have always lived by her mandates. You can tell Her Ladyship that all is well in this district. Tell Mordea what? Tell her that all is well here. She has no need to worry about her subjects in the valley breaking her laws. You’re her subjects too? But of course, and happy to be so. Do you think I work for Mordea? What else would a man so equipped and well armoured do but protect our ruler? But do not think that that is the reason why I have taken the time to talk to you. I welcome the company of others. I don’t work for Mordea. Well, that is your business, friend. It is not for me to pry into your life. Who are the Theurgists? What? Have you never heard of the Theurgists? For Lithos’ sake, man, did you just fall out of the sky? The Theurgists are the disciples of Stratos, the Air Titan. I thought that everyone knew that. Law abiding folk? That is correct, sir. Her Ladyship’s administration has never had reason to worry about us. Farewell.We’ll have more to say to Gwillim after we explore West Tenebrae.  If we follow the mountainside as it bends around to the North, we’ll find a cave which has been blocked up with wood. We will be ready for this cave after we explore West Tenebrae.  The center of the action on this map is this farm owned by Gwillim and Corinth. Let’s explore a bit.  This building is failed kith farm. You can see the dead giant spider—that’s a kith. They apparently are raised for their ability to produce silk. The book on the table describes the procedure for devenoming a kith. Being as this specimen is dead, someone may have failed at the procedure.  Corinth and Gwillim’s home is a simple place. There are coins to loot in the chest, but nothing else of interest to us.  Outdoors they have a cooking fire.  Some kind of memorial pond? I’m not sure what this is.  They also have a little mushroom farm.  Their biggest venture seems to be herding torax. Three of them are in this pen, apparently attempting to form a Megazord. I wish them luck.  This torax stable is the final building on the farm. And here we find Corinth. Greetings. Hello, stranger. Pardon me, sir, but I ask that you treat me with a bit more respect here upon my own land. I apologize, m’lady. Apology accepted, sir. I hope that I was not too terse in my response. We certainly do not get many strangers up here. Allow me to introduce my self; I am Corinth. By what are you called? I am called TerraGoetia. Well, I am pleased to meet you, TerraGoetia. You are welcome here. So, you don’t see many strangers? We rarely have visitors here in the country. We do see that strange old hermit once in a while, though. Corinth? I was named for my mother who did not survive my birth. Father wished to preserve her memory by naming me after her. Mother Did you not hear me? I said that my mother is dead. What hermit? I believe that his name is Mythran. He goes into Tenebrae now and then, for supplies I suppose. No one knows much about Mythran but there are many tales about him. Father Lleu was my father but he is dead now. Lleu was a fine herdsman but his devotion to his herd cost him dearly. Cost him? Yes, long ago Lleu’s herd was attacked by a kith. The kith killed Lleu. Lleu Yes, Lleu, it’s an old name. It is rarely used today. In many ways, my father’s name suited him well. Suited him? My father was an old fashioned man with old fashioned value. Old values, huh? Well I don’t mean to say that we don’t have values today. I certainly don’t want you to get the impression that I’m not happy with our people’s values. Our people’s values. Lady Mordea has given us a culture to be proud of. Life is certainly better today than in the past. The past Her Ladyship has given us peace and order. I am happy with that. Old name It is a very old name. But it’s not a Zealan name. Zealan name? That is what I was told. Actually, I know nothing about the Zealans. Who are the Zealans? All I know of them are but dim memories of stories that I was told as a child. Supposedly there were a race of people that once lived here on Pagan who were quite savage. My father used to tell me that if I did not behave, the Zealans would come and get me. Anyway, that is all that I know of the Zealans. He was a herdsman? Lleu was a herdsman from the time that he was a boy. It was all that he knew. What kinds of tales? Oh I don’t not know them all. People claim that he knows magic. Some people even claim to have bought magic scrolls from the old hermit. But I would not believe everything that you hear. What do you do? As we live in the country, away from most people, I do many things. Since my son did move away I am not as busy as I once way. Your son? My dear Cyrrus. I am so proud of him. His father and I are but simple people. But Cyrrus will do great things. Great things? Yes! Cyrrus has gone to study with the Theurgists. He will help many people as a Theurgist. Help people? The Theurgists specialize in healing the sick. Some say that they can even bring back the dead. Theurgist The Theurgists are the disciples of the Air Titan. Although Gwillim sacrifices to Lithos, I believe that Cyrrus was born to be a Theurgist. Born to be a Theurgist? All of his life Cyrrus has most enjoyed caring for others. He has always a talent for healing. It did not matter if it was a person or an animal, Cyrrus would heal it if it were sick. I knew that he was born to be a Theurgist, not to spend his life on a farm. Not at the farm Gwillim wanted very much for Cyrrus to follow in his footsteps at the farm. I convinced Cyrrus that his future was more important than his father’s traditions. His father’s traditions All of Gwillim’s kin have always been herdsmen. Gwillim takes great pride in working the land. As Cyrrus is our only son, Gwillim expected Cyrrus to carry on the family’s traditions. His future? I knew that if Cyrrus became a farmer, he would be poor for the rest of his life. Gwillim does not know that I convinced Cyrrus to seek the Theurgists, but I had to, for Cyrrus’ sake. Now he can lead a life far richer than that of a farm man. Even animals? My, but you do ask many questions! But yes, Cyrrus loves animals. He has always been a caring man. I’m sorry if I ask too many questions. No, I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I enjoy your company! As I said, we do not see many visitors here, I am glad to have someone to talk to. But what of Hydros? All of the Titans are worthy of service. Gwillim did not much like the idea of Cyrrus being a Theurgist but saw the boy’s dedication. If Cyrrus is meant to serve Stratos then we must not stand in his way. All of the Titans are worthy? By that, I mean that all of the Titans are great powers. I do not mean to say that all are not worthy of good people’s service. I would not claim that Pyros and his sorcerers are worthy of such. Sorcerers? Ask me nothing of them. It is ill business to speak of the sorcerers. Goodbye. Farewell.Corinth has more dialog than some of the characters involved in the main plot. She’s not verbose like Bentic. She just allows the Avatar to ask a lot of questions. The real bits we need to know are that Mythran sells scrolls, sorcerers freak people out, Zealans existed, and that Cyrrus is a Theurgist. We’ll come back to talk with her after we explore West Tenebrae.  Before leaving this map, I wanted to show off an enemy we haven’t yet encountered: the kith. We saw a dead one in Gwillim and Corith’s farm, but now we’ve got a live one. These giant spiders are sometimes domesticated, but there are plenty of wild ones in the island. Kith should not be approached lightly, as they: -Do just a little less damage than a daemon -Have a little more health than a ghost -Have fairly high armor -Take half damage from blunt weapons. Approaching a kith without some help can easily turn against us. However, unlike ghosts, they can be hurt by normal weapons.    This is the perfect time to try out an invulnerability (purple) potion. These prevent all damage for 60-90 seconds, which is usually enough time for you to handle whatever caused you to chug the potion in the first place.  Once we’ve finished exploring the valley, we can enter the Plateau Cave map. It’s directly up from the mushroom farm. If you’re having trouble finding it, there is a dirt road that leads to it from Corinth and Gwillim’s farm.   The entrance is a simple path to the west. We follow it until we reach a body of water. This is our first real experience with platforming in Ultima 8. It’s not so bad to start. Later platforming will usually kill us not due to the placement of the platforms, but rather poorly programmed jumping mechanics.  To the west there is a chest in a little nook. It has two scrolls of restore to sight, one scroll of restoration, and one scroll of invisibility. And, of course, it explodes.  We continue platforming to the left until we can barely see the shore on the left side of the screen. You can make this jump, so don’t worry. Now we climb up the platform before us and kill the nearby ghoul. This dungeon has several ghouls, and more will spawn as we wander around.  Our combat experience has paid off, as we now have 20 str and 19 dex. The cap for stats is 25, so we’re well on our way to greatness.  Continuing South, there is a gateway here with an electric pulse. We can time our movements to run through the gateway, but the better option is to climb up this edge here. We bypass the electricity, and we can loot some potions from the corpses.  If we disturb the death disk under the skull it will explode and take out a chunk of our health. Be careful!   From the other side of the gateway, we continue left. There is another platform to climb. In the center of the room is a lever which currently does nothing.  South of that is a large gateway.  Heading West from the lever, we cross a bridge. Be very careful on this bridge! You may notice the angle of the bridge does not match the isometric rotation of the screen. So if you decide to run straight westward, you will fall off the bridge. Corrections are necessary.  This is our first lever puzzle. It’s very easy. Ignore the switch in the center of the room. Focus on the switches along the wall. If you toggle one of these switches, they will either do nothing, or cause the winch to spin. Put every lever in a position that causes the winch to spin, and the screen will shake. This is your signal that you succeeded.  One of the skeletons in this room has some arm armor. If you didn’t pick some up earlier from Central Tenebrae, this could be helpful.   Now we recross the bridge and return to the lever in the center of the room. Throwing it causes the gateway to the west to open.  From here we just follow the pathway to the exit of the cave.  We’ve now reached the Plateau map. You may notice that fire shrooms are a feature of this map.   Try your best not to step on these.  The pathway from the plateau cave leads straight to Mythran’s house.  Mythran’s house exists in the Ethereal Void. The entranceway is a series of electric pulses flanked by rolling spiked balls. If we time our movements with the electrical pulses, this is a pretty easy section.  It even has some potions at the end in case you hurt yourself.  Entering Mythran’s home proper, we find a collection of items. The one that immediately catches our attention is a shifting object. It begins as a sphere, becomes a pyramid, and then finally a cube, before cycling through these shapes.   If we try to use it, the Avatar has some choice words. If this object reminds you of the oldschool Electronic Arts (now EA) logo, that is on purpose. Electronic Arts acquired Origin Systems in 1992. Electronic Arts and Origin Systems had differing philosophies about what to do when a scheduled deadline approached. Origin preferred to delay the game in question and keep working. Electronic Arts preferred to cut content to reach deadlines. This ‘creative difference’ led to there being increasing amounts of cut content in later Ultima games, and really pissed off people at Origin Systems. Electronic Arts would later strip Origin Systems of nearly every creative endeavor except keeping Ultima Online going. There are rumours that this shifting prism object was originally meant to have a use in escaping Pagan, and that during plot rewrites it was replaced by what we’ll see later. I do not know if this is true at all.  Moving forward, we find an abacus. Using this will tell us how many obsidian coins we’re carrying. We’ll need a lot more than this.  In the closet over here are three very good things: 137 obsidians, a bedroll, and a magical dagger. The dagger is called Korghin’s Fang. It does a little less damage than our current sword, but ups our armor by 1 and we attack really fast with it. As a magical weapon, it will allow us to hit ghosts.  We’re pretty strong right now. A strict regimen of ghoul killing has helped considerably.  Heading upstairs, the first thing we notice is a large Zealan shield. If you recall our readings in Bentic’s library, this shield is necessary to speak with the Zealan gods of emotion.  Heading right, we find Shaana, the executioner from the docks scene. I wonder what she’s doing here? Note that Shaana will end conversations quite readily, so this transcript is pasted together from several conversations with her. Pardon me… Good day, stranger. Nice axe. Yes, stranger, it is. Who are you? Not that it is any of your concern, stranger, I am called Shaana. Who was the man I saw you kill? The man I just killed? You must be an imbecile to think that I have any knowledge – or desire for the knowledge – of whom I execute. Even if I were interested, there are too many to remember. Why are you so concerned about me and my victims? I am simply curious. I am not here to satisfy an idle curiosity, stranger. One would think you were employed by the scholar, the way you waste time with useless banter. I am not wasting time. You are wrong, stranger. You are wasting mine. Farewell. Why was Bentic killed? ‘Tis not mine to judge the condemned. I simply carry out The Lady’s commands. If you have issue with that, I suggest you speak with her. Goodbye. What is your task? I think that you need not know such things. But let me assure you that not all of my life revolves around death. Most times there are far more interesting things to study than a decapitated body. What do you study? My dear stranger, if I have not yet made it perfectly clear that my business is none of your concern, let me do so now. As far as you need know, I am but an executioner. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet you study other pursuits. I have warned you not to pry into my affairs. Do not fool yourself into thinking that I am incapable of performing the duties of my position – even when the victims are not bound. I have -no- qualms about slaying someone who deserves to die. Though I do not necessarily agree with the Lady’s methods. With what do you disagree? ‘Tis not right to let the body fall to The Lurker. It violates the pact, something for which Lithos will not likely stand much longer. What pact? You know very little of our culture, stranger. I suggest that change. The pact is one forged ages ago between Lithos and our people. Our duty from the covenant is to send our dead to Lithos. Yet Lady Mordea elects to give them to her patron, Hydros. ‘Tis only a matter of time before the dead rise up and avenge the Mountain King. Dead rise up? Aye, so the story goes. When he is angry, Lithos will set upon us our long lost kindred which he has willed to live again. Well, ‘tis hardly living, but legend holds that they walk and fight like men. I have seen such wander about inside the confines of the cemetery, though even -I- have not dared to enter within. Why do you avoid the cemetery? An odd question, stranger. I do not wish audience with the dead. That is the realm of the Necromancers. Who are the Necromancers? I tire of these questions. They are common to all Tenebreans, yet to me do you pose them. The Necromancers are the line of mages who carry out our half of the pact with Lithos. Their duties are quite distasteful, but they are necessary. If you are truly interested in them, why not speak to them yourself. Are they in the cemetery? Do not tell me you are so much a foll as to take me seriously! I will grant you this, stranger, you are indeed brave if not equally senseless! Aye, the Necromancers reside in the graveyard. Beware where you tread. Who is Lithos? I know not from where you hail, stranger, but I wonder about a man who does not know of the Titans. Speak to the scholar. He will show you the answer to your question. I assume you -do- know how to read. Goodbye.What surprises me about the dialog in this game is that, even though we are the Necromancer’s apprentice, the Avatar still asks questions like he has no clue what’s going on. Shaana’s kind of a jerk. What’s unanswered about her is why she hangs out at Mythran’s place? She doesn’t seem to know any magic. If we attack her, she’ll fight back with her axe. Though if you want to kill Shaana, do it at her home; Mythran will kill you if you fight in his house. There are a number of books strewn about Mythran’s home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read all of them just yet. Shaana is blocking access to a few. We’ll be coming back here throughout the game, so I’ll summarize the books next time.  We find a similar pad to the one we found on the roof of the palace. And the sage himself appears. Hello. What an unusual house. Unusual? I do not see anything unusual about my living quarters. It does not differ from any other extra-dimensional abode. May I ask your name? You may ask indeed, stranger. I am Mythran. By what name do you go, young one? I am called TerraGoetia. Greetings, TerraGoetia. And how might I assist you? I have many questions. Ah, good. It is always important to ask questions. That way one will never run out of things to learn. I cannot refuse one who has traversed ghoul-filled passages to meet with my hospitality. What are some of these questions? What about Pagan history? The history of this land is quite long, and there is much I can tell you. Where would you prefer I start? Better than wasting your time and mine with a lengthy story when we could be discussing more interesting matter, let me simply suggest that you read my essay on the subject. The book should be around here somewhere. Mostly likely I have left it upstairs. Feel free to borrow it if you wish. How can I leave Pagan? I have never had anyone ask such a question, TerraGoetia. Do you truly wish a means off this world? Or are you simply testing the limits of my knowledge? I ask this because finding the answer would be extremely tedious, and I do not plan to toil for no reason. I plan to leave Pagan. That ‘tis indeed, a tremendous task you are planning to undertake. I, myself, have given considerable thought to finding ways to cross into what you would call ‘other worlds.’ I have not yet uncovered a solution. However, I -have- come to the conclusion that it is the power of the Titans that makes such travel impossible for even one with my command of the arcane. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that to depart from Pagan, one must master the powers of all four of the Titans. I suppose the best place to begin is with one of the schools of magic. Have you spoken with the Necromancers? Yes, I have. Then I expect you will have more to learn more about the powers of Necromancy. In fact, you must attempt to acquire those powers for yourself. With enough study, perhaps, you will be able to master the abilities Lithos grants to his followers and use them to locate the other mages. Only by seeking the talents of all four Titans will you have any hope of succeeding in your mission. Do you know of The Guardian? Ah, interesting question. Indeed, I do. Furthermore, I know that -you- know of him as well. However, you will find that no one else on Pagan has heard anything other than that this mysterious Guardian spoke to the early Pagans to warn them of disaster. Perhaps, some other time and place, we may speak further on this subject. Ask of it no more for now, please. What do you do? That is an interesting question. I do many things. I suppose I spend most of my time studying and exploring the mind. I do not believe that thoughts should be confined within the skull, so I study a little bit of everything. What do you study? To tell you would take nearly as much time as I have spent collecting the information. Suffice it to say that I try to learn as much about everything as I can. Of course, my preference is to study magic. Magic? Perhaps in the future I will have the time to show you. Tell me about Pagan. Your question is quite broad in scope. DO you wish me to talk about the city, the island, or all of Pagan? Are they not all the same? Indeed no, although many people use – or should I say misuse – the word ‘Pagan’ to mean the world, the island, and for a few ethnocentrics, the city. In actuality, Pagan is only the name for the world. The island. The island is called Morgaelin, same as the mountain – or volcano – from which it sprang. As far as the people know, this is the only piece of land remaining after the Titans vanquished the Destroyer. All of Pagan. The lands of this world once spanned great distances. At that time, the people were prosperous and – for the most part – unified. However, when the words of warning came from a mysterious being called the Guardian, the population split into two factions: the Zealans, who believed in the ancient traditions, and Pagans, who felt that the Guardian’s words meant the end of things that were. The two factions fell to fighting against each other, while the very forces of the elements began to take form and grow. When a malevolent entity called the Destroyer attempted to conquer the world, the elements, who had amassed Titanic levels of power, rose to battle it. During the struggle, the lands were demolished, leaving only a few peoples scattered across a single island – this island. Shortly thereafter, the Zealans fell to their enemies, and the world became known as Pagan. The city. Ah, Tenebrae. The city was not settled until near the end of the war between the Pagans and Zealans. After the Titans defeated the Destroyer, most of the world lay in such ruin and disarray that the few people who were left on the island congregated into a single community. They called their city Tenebrae, meaning ‘city of eternal twilight.’ At first the Necromancers held rulership, but once Kalen became a Tempest as well, the people elected to have their leaders come from that line. Who is Kalen? He was the first Tempest. An early hero to the people, his life as a Necromancer was filled with some amount of tragedy. When we have time I will relate the history of this world to you, then you will have a better understanding. Actually, I meant the people. To be honest, I know little about the people. A few come to visit me for my knowledge. And even fewer to buy my scrolls. I do know a little about the magics of Pagan. Is it them you are interested in knowing? Tell me of the mages. Tell me of the mages. There are four of what I call ‘schools’ of magic on Pagan – one for each of the Titans. The study of death and the ground is called Necromancy. It is the Necromancer who is responsible for carrying out the pact with Lithos by burying the dead and sending their spirits to him. The current Necromancer, Vividos, is fairly new to his position. This means that he has been away from the city for only a few years, and is, therefore, less reclusive. In time, however, he will have forgotten most of his social graces, and the people will find dealing with him as distasteful as they did his predecessors. Tempestry’s main focus is water, though its aspect does involve combining with Hydros’s sister Titan, Stratos, making storms as much a part of Tempestry as is the sea. Unlike the other schools, Tempestry is not learned. It is passed on through the bloodline. The eldest living Tempest possesses the greatest amount of power. However, as long as a younger Tempest’s spell does not contradict the elder’s, the younger’s magic will work fully. Since there seems to be little cap on the powers of Tempestry, it is a true tragedy that Mordea rules the city. I hope for the sake of the people that her reign is not a long one. Stellos was the first follow of Stratos. His Order of Enlightenment teaches Theurgy, the study of the winds. He is a good and learned man, if you will permit me a judgement of ethics, who freely uses his powers of healing. The fourth school, Sorcery, involves the Titan of Fire. I have never spoken to Malchir in person, but I feel the Sorcerer’s reputation for deceit is unchanged by his rise to power. Take care when dealing with those who consort with Pyros, for it seems they become as wicked as he. Those are the mages of the four schools. Of course, they do not represent -all- aspects of magic on Pagan. What other magic exists? There is what I call Thaumaturgy. It is not tied to any of the Titans, but borrows bits and pieces from any form of magic you can imagine. I am a practitioner of Thaumaturgy. Can you teach me Thaumaturgy? You are not ready yet, my friend. Perhaps, with a little more time to adjust to this world, you will be prepared. You sell scrolls? Indeed, I do. Do you wish to purchase some? Yes. There is only one spell which I have bothered to transcribe onto scrolls. This spell enables the caster to dispel magics that seal entryways and portals. Unlike other spells, you do not need to learn this spell before casting it. However, the magics upon the scroll will disappear after you read it, so you may use each spell of opening once. You wish to buy the Scroll of Dispelling Magical Portals? Aye. Since the ink and parchment do have a cost to them, as well as the time I take to transcribe the magical words, I must ask you for 50 obsidians. I will pay that. Excellent. Use this well. Goodbye. May you fare well, stranger to this land. If there is anything in my house that will aid you on your journeys, fell free to help yourself. Wait. Before you go, my friend, I wish to give you two items that I believe will assist you in your travels. The first is an item of recall I acquired many years ago. When you find yourself in trouble, you may use this time to teleport to my front door. Throughout the world there are other disks to which you can also be transported if you so wish, providing you can visualize these places. How powerful this item is, I cannot say, for I do not know whether other, stronger powers may prevent it from functioning at certain times. Furthermore, I wish to give you this potion of healing, which will magically aid the recovery of your wounds. I will try to have others for you as you make return visits, but since the cost to me in time and energy is great, I will not have one for you every time you visit me. Excellent. Use this well. Here. Again, fare well.That’s a lot to digest. Mythran agreed to help us leave Pagan. He feels the four elemental Titans are blocking anyone from leaving. To combat this, he urges us to learn the powers of all of the titans. Mythran himself is a practitioner of Thaumaturgy, a school of magic not associated with the elemental Titans. He’s also given us two very important items: a scroll of Dispelling Magic Portals, and the Recall Item.  I have not mentioned this yet, but several items in the games have hotkeys. These include the keyring, (k), the bedroll (b), and the recall item (r). Pressing the key will use the item without you having to dig through your inventory. That may save us time instead of having to sort through our bag whenever we want to recall.  Let’s recall to Central Tenebrae, and visit the evidence room in the basement of the palace again.  We read the scroll…   and the barrier vanishes! We are free to read Bentic’s journal.   This is big.   Oh poo poo. Thief! I knew you were not to be trusted! Will you come quietly…? Or in pieces…? I’ll go quietly. We will escort you to Lady Mordea.Next update: The Judgment of Devon.
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Mar 25, 2019 01:46
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The Judgment of Devon                                                                            
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Mar 25, 2019 02:09
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TerraGoetia posted:It’s actually the companion book to one we found in Bentic’s library. In that book, Honor Lost, a troll mystic recounts his confusion and sorrow at the descent of his people into savagery. The mystic saves a human child from becoming another troll’s dinner, and resolves to return the child to the human city. He hopes his kindness will cause the humans to listen to him. quote:Being as this specimen is dead, someone may have failed at the procedure. quote:
quote:What’s unanswered about her is why she hangs out at Mythran’s place? She doesn’t seem to know any magic. quote:I have not mentioned this yet, but several items in the games have hotkeys. These include the keyring, (k), the bedroll (b), and the recall item (r). Pressing the key will use the item without you having to dig through your inventory. That may save us time instead of having to sort through our bag whenever we want to recall. quote:
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Mar 25, 2019 02:22
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Hey, ninja update! No fair! I love that scene.  And it's probably not an idea to gently caress up and publicly embarrass the evil queen while standing at the very end of a dock from which you can be easily THIS IS SPARTA'd into a sea infested with giant carnivorous eels. quote:Pierzak fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Mar 25, 2019 |
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Mar 25, 2019 02:33
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Pierzak posted:Me, a Tempest? Inconceivable! I'm just a plain fisherman! *blasts queen with lightning and walks away on water* This is somewhat justified - unlike all other forms of magic, Tempestry doesn't require rituals, reagents, or any of that jazz. Its powers are not learned but rather granted by birthright and come straight from Hydros, the titan of water. It lets you control the weather, walk on (and breathe) water, call down lightning bolts and so on. So as soon as he realizes he can, Devon really just has to will that stuff to happen, and Hydros will oblige. There is some theorizing that the Avatar was once meant to learn Tempestry as part of the game but that it was part of the cut content. More about that theory later though. TerraGoetia posted:If we try to use it, the Avatar has some choice words. If this object reminds you of the oldschool Electronic Arts (now EA) logo, that is on purpose. Electronic Arts acquired Origin Systems in 1992. Electronic Arts and Origin Systems had differing philosophies about what to do when a scheduled deadline approached. Origin preferred to delay the game in question and keep working. Electronic Arts preferred to cut content to reach deadlines. This ‘creative difference’ led to there being increasing amounts of cut content in later Ultima games, and really pissed off people at Origin Systems. There are even more blatant references to this as far back as Ultima VII Part 1 - the Guardian's evil 'generators' in that game are shaped like a cube, a tetrahedron and a sphere. Origin definitely did not like EA very much (and with good reason). Soul Reaver fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Mar 28, 2019 |
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Mar 25, 2019 03:28
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The recording software is working much better now. I now have footage up to meeting Lithos and becoming the Scion.
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Mar 25, 2019 03:54
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Hey, why'd Devon call him Avatar if no one knows about that on Pagan?
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Mar 25, 2019 04:19
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GunnerJ posted:Hey, why'd Devon call him Avatar if no one knows about that on Pagan? He read our journal at the start of the game. It's how he learned our name. Who knows what kind of crazy poo poo we have written in that book! Soul Reaver posted:This is somewhat justified - unlike all other forms of magic, Tempestry doesn't require rituals, reagents, or any of that jazz. Its powers are not learned but rather granted by birthright and come straight from Hyrdos, the titan of water. It lets you control the weather, walk on (and breathe) water, call down lightning bolts and so on. So as soon as he realizes he can, Devon really just has to will that stuff to happen, and Hydros will oblige. It's slightly hinted at in the first update that Devon is probably unconsciously using his powers already. He says "And the weather! I hear others complain it is as fickle as the Lady, but I know no such thing. I can think of no day on the sea when the sky was not clear and the waves as gentle as a baby's hand." The Devon Fan Club grows ever stronger. Pierzak posted:Is it really? I haven't been able to produce its corpse inventory. Maybe it's just unconscious after the procedure? He's not dead. We just... sent him to live on a farm. Pierzak posted:What, you didn't ask her about that? I meant, like, a real answer that would clarify her relationship with Mythran. Pierzak posted:Aw, no beating?
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Mar 25, 2019 04:42
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Soul Reaver posted:This is somewhat justified - unlike all other forms of magic, Tempestry doesn't require rituals, reagents, or any of that jazz. Its powers are not learned but rather granted by birthright and come straight from Hyrdos, the titan of water. It lets you control the weather, walk on (and breathe) water, call down lightning bolts and so on. So as soon as he realizes he can, Devon really just has to will that stuff to happen, and Hydros will oblige. TerraGoetia posted:It's slightly hinted at in the first update that Devon is probably unconsciously using his powers already. He says "And the weather! I hear others complain it is as fickle as the Lady, but I know no such thing. I can think of no day on the sea when the sky was not clear and the waves as gentle as a baby's hand." quote:He's not dead. We just... sent him to live on a farm.  quote:I meant, like, a real answer that would clarify her relationship with Mythran.
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Mar 25, 2019 05:00
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Pierzak posted:My personal theory is that she's gotten quite philosophical after the repeated contact with death she's had in her job, and Bentic is too much of a nerd to ask him the really serious questions. I reckon Mythran is paying her to visit him in that get-up for some reason. Why do you think he charges so much for his wares? It does get so lonely on the Plateau.
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Mar 25, 2019 05:10
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I dunno, I think maybe the killing of the tyrant responsible for making Tenebrae a lovely place to live could have waited until (much) later in the game.
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Mar 25, 2019 05:14
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Mythran charges out the rear end for reagents, and he's the only source of Thaumaturgy regs. He knows he's the only game in town, and he makes. You. Pay.Pierzak posted:Yeah I did notice it, I just didn't want to spoil it in case you had it prepared like a big reveal. I was trying to let the screenshots speak for themselves. For all its faults, the game does a great job of storytelling. Snorb posted:I dunno, I think maybe the killing of the tyrant responsible for making Tenebrae a lovely place to live could have waited until (much) later in the game. Technically, we could have waited to do this. There's no time limit to saving Devon.
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Mar 25, 2019 05:26
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Nyan Avatar:
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Mar 25, 2019 06:11
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Snorb posted:I dunno, I think maybe the killing of the tyrant responsible for making Tenebrae a lovely place to live could have waited until (much) later in the game. In addition to being able to delay it until later, the difference between this as a LP and how long it takes to get to this point just playing through casually is huge. edit: The troll book always made me sad.
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Mar 25, 2019 14:21
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this game would be improved tremendously with keyboard controls.
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Mar 25, 2019 20:22
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ZypherIM posted:In addition to being able to delay it until later, the difference between this as a LP and how long it takes to get to this point just playing through casually is huge. Can't emphasis this enough. You will spend your first 6-12+ hours of this game exploring this city, and that cave that we breezed through is no joke if you don't know what you're doing. We're surprisingly deep in the game by wall clock for such few updates. There are people with fond memories of this game who didn't get this far. Speaking of which . . .
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Mar 26, 2019 02:43
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Soul Reaver posted:
. . . I know this thread has an open spoiler policy in re Ultima, but any chance can we keep the plot stuff for this specific game in spoiler tags?
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Mar 26, 2019 02:47
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Chuu posted:Can't emphasis this enough. You will spend your first 6-12+ hours of this game exploring this city, and that cave that we breezed through is no joke if you don't know what you're doing. We're surprisingly deep in the game by wall clock for such few updates. One thing to bear in mind is that I've mostly skipped over West Tenebrae for now. There are spells I want to know that will help make that area more interesting, and many of the characters in that area will tie into a sidequest we want to uncover. So we will be revisiting Tenebrae and spending a fair bit of time there. If you're having trouble with the Plateau Cave, that is a red flag. Unfortunately, the Plateau Cave is the easiest of the game's dungeons and is supposed to be a gentle introduction to things like platforming, fighting, traps, and puzzles. Things will get significantly harder.... but we'll get access to more spells and tools to help us. If you're having trouble with combat, do these things: -Go to Shaana's house in West Tenebrae while she's not at home. There is a key underneath the book in her bedroom. Use the key to open the (trapped) chest, and take the axe in there. The axe is the strongest of the nonmagical weapons. -Go visit the blacksmith in West Tenebrae. He sells metal armor, and you should easily be able to afford it after robbing Salkind. Replace any of your leather gear with this. -Refer to the manual or to my Necromancy recipes above, and make a few copies of Grant Peace. This spell slays any one undead of your choice. Use it on skeletons to stop them from resurrecting. Also use it to instakill ghosts. -All combat damage will be ignored if you drink a purple potion or cast Rock Flesh. Do not be afraid to use these if you have to. If you're having trouble with platforming, remember: -The code for platforming is very buggy, but there is always a solution. Try approaching the jumping puzzle from different angles or elevations. It helps to be at the same elevation of the thing you are trying to jump onto. If you're having trouble with traps, remember: -You will generally not fall down a pit if you are tip-toeing. -If you hold the right mouse button while falling, you may grip the edge of the pit. Keep holding the right mouse button and click with the left mouse to raise yourself out. -All damage traps can be completely ignored if you drink a purple potion or cast Rock Flesh. This includes instant death traps. I know it may seem like we've covered a lot of content, but there is a lot more to go. The next gameplay update (after the Lost Vale discussion) will include the Slayer Dungeon.
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Mar 26, 2019 05:00
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Hi friends. I have been trying to re-set my circadian rhythm. In that effort, I've been up literally all night. With nothing else to do, I've been recording Pagan. I've been playing a LOT of Pagan.
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Mar 26, 2019 11:24
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Man, we never got a good look at the Lurker eating people that fall into the water. This would have been a good time to move the camera a bit. Are the people who got knocked down during the confrontation without falling into the water properly dead?
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Mar 26, 2019 12:19
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Xander77 posted:Man, we never got a good look at the Lurker eating people that fall into the water. This would have been a good time to move the camera a bit. Basically they fall into the water and splash, and then a moment later a minion of the Lurker pokes its head up. They never animated people getting properly devoured. The three guards are dead. Darion, the Avatar, and Shaana are alright.
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Mar 26, 2019 12:40
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I have such memories of this game. Spent ages following the tutorial but never quite getting it, getting blasted by Beren repeatedly and finally downloading a trainer to blast him right back. It was definitely not a game suited for a young me with a nonexistent attention span.
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Mar 26, 2019 13:38
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I forgot just how completely busted Thaumaturgy is.
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Mar 26, 2019 14:30
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TerraGoetia posted:Basically they fall into the water and splash, and then a moment later a minion of the Lurker pokes its head up. They never animated people getting properly devoured. You can confirm this by double-clicking on all of them when they're down - the guards are corpses, and Darion and Shaana just make groaning sounds.
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Mar 26, 2019 14:34
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Snorb posted:I dunno, I think maybe the killing of the tyrant responsible for making Tenebrae a lovely place to live could have waited until (much) later in the game. TerraGoetia is kinda speedrunning through poo poo in a way that someone who knows the game super well can do (which I am 100% here for) but if you don't know the game, there's probably hours of wandering around and loving up before you get anywhere near to figuring out how to depose Mordea. (I never did. )
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Mar 26, 2019 14:38
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GunnerJ posted:TerraGoetia is kinda speedrunning through poo poo in a way that someone who knows the game super well can do (which I am 100% here for) but if you don't know the game, there's probably hours of wandering around and loving up before you get anywhere near to figuring out how to depose Mordea. (I never did. Don't worry. I'll start stumbling when I hit the Catacombs.
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Mar 26, 2019 15:59
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So, what's the pre-game history between the Avatar and Guardian?
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Mar 26, 2019 16:11
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Gort posted:So, what's the pre-game history between the Avatar and Guardian? Guardian wanted to rule Britannia, the Avatar put a stop to him, Guardian wanted to do... something in the Serpent Isles, Avatar stopped him, Guardian got pissed off and magic'ed the Avatar to Pagan.
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Mar 26, 2019 16:13
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And what are they both, exactly?
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Mar 26, 2019 16:25
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Gort posted:And what are they both, exactly? The Avatar has a long history, since he's the protagonist of all the Ultima games. Skipping the side-games (where he went to loving Mars), the Avatar: Ultima 1: Saved the world of Sosaria from an Age of Darkness by going back in time to kill the evil wizard Mondain and destroy his Gem of Immortality. Flew a space ship. Ultima 2: Saved Earth from Mondain's apprentice and lover, Minax. Minax caused a nuclear holocaust in Earth's future. Spaceships and time travel were involved. Ultima 3: Saved Sosaria from Minax and Mondain's spawn, Exodus. Exodus is a demon computer and defeated by punch cards. (Also Minax was "young an experienced" when Mondain died. So basically the first three Ultima games are about killing a pedophile, the lover he groomed, and their weird cyber-child.) Ultima 4: Became the Avatar of the Eight Virtues of Britannia by following the ways of Valor, Honor, Justice, Compassion, Honesty, Spirituality, Humility, and Sacrifice. Read from the pages of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. Despite the whole point being to become a role model for everyone in the land, Avs immediately goes back home to Earth. Ultima 5: Defeats the Shadowlords of Hatred, Falsehood, and Cowardice. Restores Lord British to the throne. Ultima 6: Ends racism forever by finding peace between the Gargoyles and Humans. Sends the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom to the Ethereal Void. Ultima 7: Stops the Guardian from invading Britannia and dismantles his religion. Ultima 7-2: Restores Balance to the Universe, undoing the Guardian's plot. The Great Earth Serpent thanks him by leaving him drifting in the Ethereal Void. The Guardian then grabs Avs and sends him to Pagan. I'm glossing over a lot here. Definitely check out the LPs on Ultimas 4 through 7-2 if you're into it.
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Mar 26, 2019 16:45
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TerraGoetia posted:I'm glossing over a lot here. Definitely check out the LPs on Ultimas 4 through 7-2 if you're into it. Steve was not the Avatar we needed, but absolutely the one we deserved.
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Mar 26, 2019 16:59
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Gort posted:So, what's the pre-game history between the Avatar and Guardian? The Guardian is an intergalactic rear end in a top hat. His background was purposefully left unexplained by Lord British (Richard Gariott), who put off coming up with his backstory as much as possible. The Guardian goes from world to world, conquering what he can, and destroying the rest. He set up a cult on Britannia called the Fellowship. The Fellowship's secret goal was to build a gate out of Blackrock that the Guardian could use to enter Britannia. On Serpent Isle, the Guardian is loving around with the balance of the cosmos (represented as an Order Serpent, a Chaos Serpent, and the Great Earth Serpent). We'll find out more about the Guardian's interactions on Pagan in this LP. The Guardian is finally fleshed out as a villain in Ultima 9, and it's loving awful.
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Mar 26, 2019 17:03
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TerraGoetia posted:The Guardian is finally fleshed out as a villain in Ultima 9, and it's loving awful.
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Mar 26, 2019 17:16
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TerraGoetia posted:The Guardian is finally fleshed out as a villain in Ultima 9, and it's loving awful. I will say this much for Ultima 9, the original explanation for the Guardian should have been used and it's a drat shame it wasn't. It would have bookended the series nicely. The original plot for 9 allegedly had the Guardian be revealed as being a fusion of the three Shadowlords, who originally came from the shards of Morden's immortality crystal, which makes everything tie together in one overarching plot of cleaning up the mess from Ultima 1
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Mar 26, 2019 17:27
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