Exult Forum

In most of the ultima games the 8 dungeons each have a different style. In Ultima 7 they are a little harder to define but since this group seems pretty active I thought I'd ask this.

Does anybody know where I can find lore about each of the 8 dungeons and what they were suposed to be? I know one is a mine, and Destard is a cavern system, but I can't seem to find much else.

I'm in the process of creating a new Ultima game based off the ending of Ultima IX and would love some help getting my lore correct. I know that the dungeons in U9 were not correct and I'd like to correct what I can and stay as true to the original (un-EA) versions of the dungeons.

Any help would be appreciated.

I think U6 and u7 are meant to be the same types.

I guess what I'm looking for is a listing of types of dungeons and a brief description of what they were historically built for.

Well for what I know, Destard has always been a Cavern, the dragon´s lair and all

Shame used to be a mine I think but was abandoned.

Covetous used to be a crypt but was later transformed into a mine.

Wrong was a Prison

Deceit I think was a prison too or something like that

Hythloth a natural cave maybe?

Despise was a maze I think

And the Great stygian Abyss... well it was a big dungeon later used by the Abyssal colony to live in there, and finally destroyed in UW1 (Don´t know how in hell it still exists in u9 )

Destard was a disco

I thinks Hythloth was lava themed, like in a belly of a volcano or i could be wrong :/

The lore of the dungeons was described in the hintbook to Ultima 7, Key to the Black Gate.

Unfortunately, I do not know where to get it. My own copy was lost.

be more specific.

I've got my copy of key to the black gate here and it doesn't say that much. Only a couple of snippets of lore such as being 8 dungeons sealed by the council of mages, and that wrong was a prison.

More lore could be found in ultima5/6 I think.

If there is no lore, make up your own. It's not like Ultima is going to be continued or anything...

My brother and I have been toying with an Ultima setting for pencil & paper RPGs. Our work is somewhat appocryphal, but follows the Ultima storyline, with a few changes here and there, until U9, at which point we throw all that away, and claim that the Avatar returned from Pagan, and the Britannians were at war with the forces of the Guardian. None of that reorganization of the landscape, no columns, no sigils and the old companions aren't gimping around in the dungeons with their names rearranged. The Avatar returns, goes on a vague quest, in which all of the old companions except Shamino end up dying in battle, and in the end, the Guardian is destroyed and the world is saved and the Avatar disappears for good.

Anyway, our story takes place a number of years after all of those events, and the Realm is in search of new champions for the virtues (like what Iolo, Shamino, Dupre, etc. used to be). That is the background that the PCs exist in. I have written short backgrounds for all of the dungeons in the game. Like I said, they are in that framework and although based heavily on the events of Ultima 1-8 also have our new spin on them. Anyway, if you want, I can send you those descriptions for ideas.

I'd think the descriptions would be interesting to see too, if you'd like to post them here.

Sure I'll do it. One thing I need to mention though. For all intents and purposes, I consider the Stygian Abyss to have been a part of Hythloth. Furthermore, I have heard several names for the dungeon in Spiritwood that Lord British was lost in in U5. Those names include Doom, Death and the Abyss. I have chosen the name "Death" for my purposes.

Dungeon Covetous
This Dungeon is probably the least dangerous of any of the eight in the land. In the days of ancient Sosaria, the rulers of the city-state that would become Minoc stored their treasures here. In truth, all of those treasures have long since been looted; it is extremely rare these days for anyone to even find a coin dating back to that bygone era in this Dungeon. What it is known for these days is as a mine that is exceedingly rich in iron, copper, and silver. During the Guardian’s occupation of Minoc, it was Covetous that the miners collapsed. The Britannian Mining Company is currently hiring laborers to clear out the tunnels of Covetous. It was once said that a tunnel was dug by inmates of Wrong, connecting it to Covetous. If that was indeed true, the tunnel must certainly be lost now.

Dungeon Death
This Dungeon, located in the mystic forest of Spiritwood, is at the point where the River Maelstrom plunges into the earth. Despite the breathtaking scene at the mouth of this Dungeon, it is one of the most evil places in the Realm! It was here that the Shadowlords abducted and imprisoned Lord British during an expedition into the dungeon. Purportedly, Death is crawling with the undead and worse. It was also in this foul pit that the arch-mage Horance was possessed by the black spirit that caused him to transform into a maddened undead horror. Although this dungeon’s deadly reputation has spread far and wide, the rumors of a king’s ransom in treasure and magic lure fool-hearty bravos from time to time. If neither Horance nor Lord British could survive this dungeon unscathed, the average adventurer has little hope, indeed! To this day, Horance’s spirit habitually casts wards at Death’s entrance to keep its occupants confined to its depths. Additionally, the arch-mage employs a group of rangers to keep vigil over Death and report immediately to him any strange occurrences. If a being as powerful as Horance fears what is within this dungeon, it is more than prudent for the rest of us to as well!

Dungeon Deceit
This subterranean lair is one of the most dangerous in the Realm. It dominates nearly the whole of Dagger Island, directly north of Verity Island. Many years ago, an evil brotherhood of mages, known as the Black Rose Society made this Dungeon their base of operations. Within, they conducted all manner of magical experiments with the ultimate goal of controlling Lord British through magical means to have our good liege do their bidding. Fortunately for us all, this plot was never to come to fruition. The Council of Mages found the Society out, and entered Deceit to deal with the evil wizards personally. The conspirators had studded their lair with all manner of traps, however, and a number of Britannia’s most powerful mages were slain here. Still, the day was won, and the Black Rose Society met a timely demise. Many years later, the Guardian would house his Tethedron Generator in this Dungeon, which was responsible for disrupting the Ether and driving all of Brtiannia’s wizards to lunacy. With the Avatar’s destruction of the Generator, magic was restored in the land, but the Avatar himself verified that Deceit is still riddled with the still-functioning magical and mundane traps set by the Black Rose Society those many years ago. It is said that Deceit still holds many treasures for those clever enough to best the deadly traps and magical guardians set up to secure them.

Dungeon Despise
This is the largest cavern in all of Britannia. Running nearly the length of the Serpent’s Spine, one could spend literally weeks exploring its depths. Within this underworld, one will find a great subterranean lake, larger than any on record. Reports tell of the twisting tunnels being occupied by all manner of beast, monster and villain. Any hardy enough to brave these perils will undoubtedly reap the rewards of these creature’s hidden hordes. It is said that a reclusive mage has established his hermitage here where he might pursue his experiments free from the scrutiny of the Council of Mages. Despise is notable throughout the history of our Realm. It once housed the Guardian’s sinister Sphere Generator, which was used to disrupt the moongates throughout the land. The Fellowship used the effects of the Sphere, combined with the Tethedron in Deceit, to claim that magic was dying in Britannia. When the Avatar destroyed the Sphere, it unleashed a nefarious failsafe that the Guardian has devised; instead of fixing the malfunctioning moongates, they seem to have been banished from our world altogether. In even more recent times, Despise was once again the stage for tragedy. During the Avatar’s final quest in our land, he and his companions were ambushed by Grackus, the brutal troll lieutenant of Mors Gotha in a chamber in Despise. Mortally wounded, the venerable hero Iolo stayed behind to delay a trap set by the vile Grackus, and allow his companions to escape. The King has offered a substantial reward to an who can recover the remains of the great bard from Despise so that they can be interred in a manner befitting such a hero. Iolo’s lute, an item of great magic is also believed to be somewhere in the Dungeon. If one could produce this artifact, their accolades would undoubtedly be sung from Jhelom to Moonglow!

Dungeon Destard
There is one thing that Destard is known for throughout the Realm – that thing is dragons! Since time immemorial, this ancient race of reptiles has dwelt within this Dungeon. Although one might find a dragon roosting anywhere, Destard has a more numerous population of these great beasts and their offspring than any other local in Britannia. Of course, with so many dragons, Destard is bound to have literal piles of gold, gems, and other precious materials. It is seldom that a dragon will actually emerge to terrorize the countryside, but when one does, it is an event that the Crown does not take lightly. More likely, a dragon will slip out of Destard only long enough to gorge itself on a cow or horse before returning to keep watch over its hoard or nest. An old custom of Jhelom had it that anyone seeking to be chief of the city had to go to Destard and return not only with the head of a dragon, but with enough gold to distribute among the citizenry! Luckily for those seeking the mayorship of the City of Valor, this custom fell by the wayside ages ago! However, the promise of renown and riches attracts many adventurers to this place yearly. Many are those who perish by flame or claw. Many are those who flee in terror, subsequently hanging up their armor and weapons for good! A select few, however, are mighty enough, or crafty enough to escape the dragon’s lair with more riches than any one man could spend in a lifetime!

Dungeon Hythloth
This great Dungeon, second only in size to Despise, crisscrosses throughout the whole of the Isle of the Avatar. It also plays greatly into the events that have shaped Britannia sense the Age of Enlightenment. It was from a sub-system of Hythloth (the Great Stygian Abyss) that the Avatar recovered the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom and attained his title. It was also through Hythloth that the Gargoyles traveled to make war on Britannia during the War of the False Prophet. Not long after the War, a knight of the Realm named Sir Cabirus brought eight relics of the Virtues to the Abyss to start a ninth city of virtue within the Dungeon itself! After the failure of this noble experiment, an evil mage named Tyball attempted to summon a powerful demon, called the Slasher of Veils into Britannia through the Abyss. It was the Avatar who thwarted Tyball, but the Stygian Abyss was subsequently destroyed by volcanic activity. More recently, Hythloth was utilized by the insidious Fellowship in their first attempt to bring their master, the Guardian into our world through the Black Gate. Although the Black Gate was destroyed by the Avatar and his companions, Hythloth is still watched over by a small garrison of guardsmen based on the island. While the guardsmen will advise against exploring Hythloth, they will do little to stop the determined adventurer. Many dangerous monsters call this Dungeon home, and any who would plumb its depths had best be well prepared. Still, if one is interested in exploring a Dungeon that has played prominently in the history of our Realm, one could not find a more interesting spot than Dungeon Hythloth.

Dungeon Shame
This ancient mine, due west of Trinsic, is said to have once been filled with mineral wealth, however the veins dried up centuries ago, and one would be lucky to find so much as a gold nugget these days. Shame also provided the people of Trinsic with the granite that they used to construct the walls around their city. There is really only one thing that Shame is known for these days. After their failure to breach Trinsic the goblins that survived the offensive fled here to hide from both the Britannians and the Guardian. The paladins of Trinsic reported that a large number of goblins escaped into the Dungeon, and with the fast rate that goblins are known to reproduce by, it is expected that these creatures could have the numbers to pose a threat to the surrounding lands sooner than later. To this end, the paladins of Trinsic have declared it a matter of Honor to eradicate the goblins from Shame. Those who have made forays into the Dungeon thus far have reported that the goblins have set up crude, but effective traps in their new home and that the goblins are adept at fighting in the dark, tight corridors of Shame. It seems that these creatures are determined to stay.

Dungeon Wrong
This Dungeon, on the far eastern side of the Deep Forest, was originally constructed in the time of ancient Sosaria as a prison by the city-state of Montor. When the people of Montor emigrated from these lands after the defeat of Exodus, Britannia inherited the Dungeon that they had left behind. For at least fifty years after this period, the Dungeon was administered by the druids of Yew, and only the most nefarious of evil-doers were imprisoned here. Soon thereafter, fewer and fewer inmates were sent to the Dungeon, and when Yew began to lose prominence, Wrong was completely abandoned. Wrong is made up of three different complexes, situated from north to south. The southern-most Dungeon was never completed. With the re-emergence of Yew as a city, and the large amounts of prisoners that were left over from the Guardian’s armies, there has been talk of reopening at least one of the prisons of Wrong. Although this might be practical, a prominent faction of the druids in Yew feel that utilizing a Dungeon saturated with Injustice would be an affront to the Virtues. Regardless, the High Court of Yew has begun hiring adventurers to explore and survey Wrong to see if reopening the Montorian’s ancient prison would be feasible. The charge includes in it that any adventurer employed by the Court can keep whatever treasures he or she finds within the Dungeon.

Wow that's some really well written and thought out story there. I really like it, really good read .

Yes, I liked as well.
I believe that a couple of last sentences at dungeons included that your own story. Like opening Wrong again and people guarding Hythloth?

I tried to find information from Ultima VI compendium and UltimaVII Book of Fellowship, but do they mention dungeons at all?
I've never heard these other names for Dungeon Doom but I haven't played so much of Ultima V. Wasn't it Dungeon Doom when you entered in there?

I like much when people find out information from Ultima compendiums and games and create some story out of that material. It is please to read it.

Thanks for the kind words, guys! To the previous poster, yes, what I have written is based heavily on Ultima lore as found in the games, manuals and hint books, but like I said, I put my own spin on them as well. I guess you'd call it "historical fiction", but sense Ultima isn't really historical, maybe you'd call it "a-historical fiction".

Hiya, sorry to bump the topic, but I was wondering. Upon reading about "Dungeon Death," ... where exactly IS the Spiritwood? O_o Is it in or Near Yew?


Additionally, Dungeon "Wrong," ... is that northeast of Yew, between Minoc and Yew? There's a series of long passageways with prison cells lining the corridors. There's a powerful magic-wielding soldier in one of them, with potions and such in his cell. The rest contain rats and a LOT of trash. There's a few rubble walls in various locations as well. The whole area seems pretty darn moot, if you ask me.


So where is this Spiritwood?

It is the woods in the peninsula to the south of the Skara Brae moongate.

Hi there. Great writeup.

There is a dungeon "Doom" in Ultima VI (It's only seen in U5) this is the dungeon in the underworld that you need Lord Britishs' Amulet to be able to find, as an evil darkness surrounds it.

This dungeon goes 8 levels below the underworld and is where Lord British is trapped. You need to have the sandalwood box (with the orb of the moons in it) from the secret chamber in Lord Britishs room, or else you are trapped here as well.

I thought this was a particularly nasty trick by Origin in this game, as this is an item that you could play the entire game without, and still get this far, but once you got there Lord British said "Well pull up a chair, We'll be here a long time."...

Gazz.

This really is a fascinating topic, but I love all things Ultima (except those nasty spiders, scorpions and gazers, bleh). I love it when people write their own lore- it makes me want to do some of my own. But mine would be all silly like "...and dungeon Deceit used to be the Britannian diaper, lollipop and teddy bear factory, but a tragic accident involving a crate of explosives and some toxic waste barrels forced the place to be closed down and converted into a much safer, family-friendly dungeon..." so it's probably best to leave it to the serious writers.

Anyway...has anyone played the console version of Ultima VII? Regardless of what you thought of it (I pretty much hated it, but it's got a "so bad, it's kind of funny" vibe- OT: Can you imagine what a console Serpent Isle would be like? EEGAH!) it was FULL of dungeons. But like, most of these weren't even necessary to beat the game, I swear! I wasted SO MUCH TIME on that terrible game just from piddling around in those pointless dungeons!

It just seemed odd to me that there would be so many dungeons in the console version. Some dungeons that are in the PC version, are named differently in the console version (or just given a name to begin with)...others are new (to me, anyway). There's a full list of them floating around somewhere; if you are a completist, check it out. Though I don't think the console version counts as canon...maybe in an alternate dimension XD.

Yeah, it was more like Ultima 6 than Ultima 7..

Like Gazza said about the end of Ultima V in Dungeon Doom.
It was a particularly nasty trick when British said "Well pull up a chair, We'll be here a long time."
Even if you lie to Lord british and you have the box this end will happen.

By the way, there is kind of two different ends in Ultima V and Ultima VII (you can enter to the Black Gate and not to destroy it.) But are there different endings in other Ultimas than those?

Worlds of ultima I: The Savage Empire has 3 different endings (mostly the same). If you fall in love with one of the 2 princes of the kurak or if you don´t

and of course there are the endings of Ultima I and II when you loose against Mondain and Minax (just a line of dialogue) and the different armaggedon endings of Ultima VI, VII, UW1, UW2, u8 and u9 (not really endings).