SD:U9:IntTxt:Book Texts Page 1

The First Age of Darkness

The tale began as a traveler from another world destroyed the gem of immortality and foiled the plan of the evil wizard Mondain to rule Sosaria.

The Revenge of the Enchantress

The traveler returned to drive back the hordes of evil summoned by Mondain's lover and disciple, the Enchantress Minax, who had sworn revenge for her lost love.

Exodus

Exodus, bastard child of the evil mages Mondain and Minax, brought Sosaria to the brink of anarchy before the traveler arrived and banished the last of this family line to the Pit.

Quest of the Avatar

Lord British united Sosaria under the new name Britannia, and proclaimed the Eight Sacred Virtues as the essence of Britannian life. The traveler returned and was named Avatar of the Virtues, defender of the people, and Britannia's champion.

Warriors of Destiny

From the three largest shards of the broken gem of immortality came the Shadowlords, who influenced Lord British's trusted confidant, Lord Blackthorn. The Avatar summoned eight companions to defeat the Shadowlords and rescue their king, while Blackthorn was thrown into the ethereal void for his betrayal.

The False Prophet

The Gargoyles' most sacred book, the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, foretold that a False Prophet would destroy the Gargoyle race unless he was sacrificed. After learning that he was the False Prophet, the Avatar undertook a quest to bring peace between the races.

The Black Gate

The Guardian, a vile beast from another world, was forced from Britannia when the Avatar traveled through the portal and destroyed the Black Gate through which the Guardian had entered.

Pagan

Imprisoned on a distant world within the sphere of the Guardian, the Avatar was forced to summon the powers of darkness to thwart the Elemental Titans and open a portal to return to his world of peace.

Ascension

The Avatar, Champion of Virtue, is called upon one last time to defeat the Guardian, who has wrought new destruction through eight great columns that are slowly ripping through the land and twisting the minds of the people.

Information to aid the wary traveler:

Beasts

Archer

Archers are quite proficient in ambushing from elevated places with ranged weapons.

Bandit

The bandit fleeces the unsuspecting at sword point and dispatches them to hide the evidence.

Bat

Favoring the night, a bat's shrill cry can alert others. The larger vampire bat can deliver a poisonous bite.

Brute

These mulish humanoids enjoy fisticuffs for its own sake, and are too stupid to feel pain.

Creeper Plant

The carnivorous creeper plant spits damaging seeds, which can sprout new plants.

Crustacean

These hungry creatures feature extremely tough armor on top, but have a soft underbody.

Demon

This hellish spawn can rip flesh with its claws and has the power to summon its own minions to attack you as well.

Dragon

A highly intelligent and dangerous creature, dragons are excellent flyers with keen senses.

Gargoyle

The wingless Gargoyle drone workers are large but unintelligent, with crushing strength. The winged Gargoyles are smaller, but more intelligent and skilled in magic, making them dangerous as well.

Gazer

This magical creature's floating body features six eyes, each of which can attack using a different kind of magic.

Ghost

Often found near their final resting place, ghosts can phase in and out of the ethereal void.

Ghoul (Zombie)

These morbid creatures are the animated flesh of the recently deceased. They can spread disease and will not cease until their bodies have been destroyed.

Goblin

Though most goblins attack with an open handed blow, the sergeants carry weapons as totems of station.

Hellhound

Born of lava and fire, the hellhound's fiery breath can burn one to the ground.

Icehound

This watery creature's freezing breath can immobilize a warrior, leaving him defenseless against attacks from the rear and side.

Lich

The lich is the master of the undead, summoning skeletons and ghouls to attack its foe. He is only visible when casting spells.

Mage

The mage has a great deal of knowledge and power and should be treated with a healthy respect.

Mimic

From afar, these creatures appear to be inanimate, but at close range can deliver a searing bite.

Thief

A stealthy assassin from the lands of the east, the thief does not shy from direct combat and can do great damage with staves of various sorts.

Pirate

These marauders steal and often kill without compunction. Beware of the seas near Buccaneer's Den, for a community of lawlessness has thrived therein.

Predatory Fish

These aggressive fish reside in shallow water, and can fell a man and drag him to sea.

Rat, Giant

Cousin to the common rat, these foul creatures have no fear of man. They will stay near their nest, though, and often retreat to get the better ground.

Sea monster

These giant creatures are encountered in the deep oceans of Britannia. They can fire magic projectiles, which do great damage.

Skeleton

In a place of evil magic, the bones of a friend or foe may reanimate into the form of a skeletal enemy.

Spectre

The undead spectre will not kill its foe, but its victim will quickly find itself unable to use spells, its magic reserves gone.

Spider, Giant

A common hazard of dungeons, the giant spider subjects its victims to poisonous bites. One frightful form of spider is known to phase between this plane and the ethereal void and is more dangerous than its cousin.

Wolf

A creature of the forest, the wolf has a voracious appetite and an acute sense of smell, so it is best to watch your step.

Eulogy for Sir Ricardo

What can I tell thee of the great Sir Ricardo? He was friend, not one whom I spent a great deal of time with, yet one that I admired more than most. His recent death has touched me in ways I have not expected. I am sure that part of the reason, is that he is the first friend of my own generation to have died, and thus reminds me of my own mortality. But I know that it is more than that. Mostly I think that it has to do with how much I and all his friends and loved ones will miss him. It was always a joy to be with this bright, and cheerful soul.

My fondest early memories of Ricardo were on the fields of tournaments and battles. Sir Ricardo was an awesome force. I have seen him sweep grown men off their feet with a single powerful blow, sending them crashing bewildered to the ground. I have stood by his side as he led our squad crashing through a well entrenched enemy line knocking people aside as if they wee matchsticks.

In later years, I grew to cherish his wit and wisdom. In fact a more gallant, honorable man would be hard to find. He was a man of great integrity. Whenever he was a companion to any adventure or outing, you always knew that the events would be greatly enriched due to his participation.

I will miss Sir Ricardo

Shamino

Adventuring Supplies:

-----------------------------------------

Denim shirt/pants

Backpack

Tool belt

Compass

Bug spray

Bread

Fruit

First Aid kit

Weapon

Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure

By Bill Pete

Hubert the lion was haughty and vain, and especially proud of his elegant main.

But conceit of this sort is not proper at all, and Hubert the lion was due for a fall.

One day as he sharpened his claws on a rock, he received a most horrible terrible shock.

A flaming hot spark flew up into the air, came down on his head and ignited his hair.

With a roar of surprise he was off like a streak, away through the jungle to Zamboozi creek.

He jumped in kersplash with a shower of bubbles, and came bobbing up with a head full of stubbles.

At first he just stared with a wide open mouth, at the cloud of black smoke drifting off to the south.

The he felt with his paws just in back of his ears, and suddenly realized the worst of his fears.

I'm Ruined he shouted oh what shall I do, I'd rather be dead or go live in a zoo.

And if anyone sees me, oh what a disgrace. I'd better discover a good hiding place.

He looked all around till he finally spied, an old hollow tree with a hole in one side.

He squeezed himself in, but the fit was too tight. The last half of Hubert was still in plain sight.

The Complete Works of J.R.R.Tolkien

Included in this collection is:

The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings

The Two Towers

The Return of the King

The Silmarillian

The Father Christmass letters

Ethical Hedonism

A philosophical muse on the meaning of life and how one should live it.

By Richard Garriott

� 1999 Richard Garriott

Why should I do unto others as I would have them do unto me? Why can't I poison the rivers and clear cut all the forests? Why must I obey the laws of state? Is it because some god will damn me to eternal hell? Well, that would be a good reason, but I believe a more basic reason is all that is needed.

Religions of the world outline moral codes of conduct by which one can live a successful life. But must one be religious to have such a code? In this book, I propose that such guidance can be found in mere thought alone. That logic and reason can guide you through the trials of life. At the very least, I think that what is outlined herein, can help you think about the beliefs you hold and why you hold them. In this way, I hope that after reading this, you will feel as I do that knowing why you believe something is as important as what you believe.

Other friends either here at Origin, or in my life have pondered this subject with me and later chapters will include their words and logic. I'd like to point out Herman Miller, long time friend and co-author of the Ultima series as a principal contributor.

Hedonism:

Life is to be lived to the fullest. Who does not hope that at their own end, they can smile knowing that they have enjoyed the journey. To each, enjoyed will be different. Some will want to have achieved greatness. Others will want to have left this world better than when they arrived. Some will just want to sit back and enjoy what life brings them.

If one lived alone on an otherwise lifeless deserted planet, one would feel free to do whatever one wished to pursue ones own happiness. If you wanted to poison all the waters or chop off your own arm, whatever made you happy should be okay. A life of unbridled Hedonism would be yours. It would be a lonely Hedonistic life, but it would be yours to do with as you and only you choose to make it.

Ethics:

Most people choose to live in the company of other people. We gather together in communities for many reasons. A community of people has many social, survival and economic advantages. If we want these advantages, we must restrict our Hedonism and avoid doing things that would otherwise make others push us out of their community. We must not interfere with others basic rights to pursue their own Hedonism.

Thus while living alone, we could have poisoned the worlds waters, living among the masses that we do, we must refrain from this type of activity. I will call these restraints Ethics. I will define Ethics to be logically derived restrictions on Hedonism. I will avoid the term Morals as it is often used to describe rules of conduct derived in other ways, for example because a deity has said so.

Ethical Hedonism:

An interesting symbol for this philosophy can be derived by superimposing a vertical line or "one" on top of and infinity symbol. The symbol can mean the balance between the Hedonistic life you could lead alone, balanced with the fact that we choose to live together in a growing limitless society. Thus a 1 and the figure eight infinity symbol combine to create the symbol for Ethical Hedonism.

A Treatise on the Lore of Gargoyles

by Norlick the Elder

Though gargoyles are considered by most to be mere legend, no records exist documenting the origins of the gargoyle "statues" that adorn many castles. Even the towering stone guardians of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom have many of the physical characteristics of the "legendary" gargoyle. Nobody seems to know where they came from either. Despite the lack of hard evidence, there have been a fair number of unconfirmed reports of sightings of live gargoyles. It is the opinion of this author that daemons are a form of gargoyle. As many reliable encounters with daemons have been documented in various scholarly works, perhaps this is the best source of further information on the subject of gargoyles.

Alice in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll

Alice saw a peculiar white rabbit one day. It was looking at its pocket watch and worrying about how late it was. Alice chased it down a rabbit hole, and fell a very long way. She found herself in a strange land. She went to a tea party there, with a mad hatter and a dormouse. She also met a strange caterpillar, and a cat that could vanish, with its grin dissappearing last. The queen of hearts yelled "Off with her head!" and her guards ran up to grab Alice - but then she awakened, and realized it had all been a dream.

Baldwin's Big Book of Baking

Though some might scoff at the idea, the making of breads, pastries, pies and cakes is one of the highest callings in life. Study this book carefully, and someday you may be prepared to take on this awesome responsibility.