LORD BRITISH
v. 2.0 by Dino the Dark Dragon
v. 1.0 on Fr 8 February 2002
v. 1.1 on Sa 1 May 2002
v. 1.2 on Mo 1 July 2002
v. 2.0 on Fr 11 October 2002
CONTENTS:
This extract from Ophidian Dragon's "A History of Britannia" says it all:
"Lord British's Arrival
Several years before Mondain's first attack, a youth was growing restless in
his own world. Believing that there was no good left there, he stepped through
the first recorded moongate into Britannia where he met Shamino. Shamino helped
the youth, whom he named British, to become a major king in Britannia and he has
been ever since."
Lord British's real name is Richard Garriott and he was born on Earth. Thus he is not Britannian, but he has learned to live like a Britannian and better.
Lord British had become a king thanks to Shamino, another king. He proved his
worth when he defeated Mondain in the times of Akalabeth, and, after that, he
rose to the throne.
Lord British rose to the throne as one of eight kings of Sosaria,
with Shamino being one of the others. However, Lord British was very powerful
since one of the four continents was his, thus he had power even over the other
king in his land.
Once Exodus was defeated by the Stranger Lord British had summoned, there was
peace throughout Sosaria. Lord British sought to unite the people of the land
under one ruler – himself. He was the most appropriate person to rule, due
to his virtue and wisdom. The land, which was once Akalabeth and which was
renamed Sosaria in honour of the sorcery he used to fight Mondain, was renamed
Britannia in his honour. As king, he built a mighty castle, known as Castle
British or the Castle of Lord British, which kept changing each time the Avatar
visited the land.
Lord British would not keep on solving people's problems himself, so he
summoned a stranger to do the dirty work for him. The noble king would rather
sit on his comfortable throne, which only came to be by Ultima 6 (which means
he'd rather sit on the floor) than do something useful. Of course, because
he'd rather have the Stranger risk his life to solve old British's
problems than get out of his castle and fix things himself, and not risk
anything, since he's immortal. Like Lord British, the Stranger came from
Earth. And each time the Stranger would do what Lord British asked of him. Well,
that's what you get for being someone's friend. You get exploited. Just
because the Stranger was successful the first time, the king kept counting on
him. In Ultima 4 the Stranger became the Avatar. At least Lord British would
offer some help, like healing. He gave the Avatar valuable information in
Ultima 4. Well, he can be useful, as long as he doesn't get off his throne.
The only time British got off his throne to fight by the Avatar's side was his
last battle in the late Ultima 9 when he killed Blackthorn deep in the Abyss.
British also got off his floor before Ultima 5, but not to help the Avatar
– instead he explored the Underworld in the Avatar's absence and got
kingnapped, giving the Avatar trouble rather than help.
If it weren't for Shamino, Lord British would be simply a daydreamer
dreaming of Earth as a better place. Shamino helped the king, in his youth, to
become someone. Shamino was critically injured by one of the Shadowlords, and
was rescued by the Avatar and taken to Iolo's Hut for nursing.
In Ultima 6 Lord British found the first, the one and only talking mouse
– Sherry. Sherry was obviously very fond of cheese, but was also fond of
the stories British used to tell her. Her favorite was Hubert the lion, which
Lord British knew by heart:
"Hubert the lion was haughty and vain
And especially proud of his elegant mane.
But conceit of this sort is not proper at all
And Hubert the lion was due for a fall."
Sherry was also essential for the Avatar in Ultima 6 when she was needed to
retrieve the Rune of Valor from a mouse hole. She also featured in Ultima 7.
What is a king without a good jester? You wouldn't expect British to sit on
the floor and do nothing, right? Well Chuckles is not a good jester and he only
muddles up the Avatar with useless clues which lead to nothing in Ultima 6.
Chuckles appears from Ultima 4 to Ultima 7.
The seer Hawkwind played an important role in Lord British's life. Lord British
even let him live in his castle. Hawkwind gave the Avatar advice about the
virtues in Ultima 4 and in Ultima 9 he saves the Avatar from incineration.
In Ultima 3 he is only mentioned as a dead cartographer.
Richard Garriott designed the Ultimas, so he has put himself as king of the
world. He appears in two characters in Ultima 2 – the usual Lord British
sitting on the floor and Richard Garriott on some other planet.
In Martian Dreams Lord British could not bear to be absent and put himself
in the cowboy "Garrett", similar to his surname Garriott.
In Ultima 9 there are two Lord British's! One is the old man on the
throne and the other is the prisoner in the castle dungeons claiming to be
Lord British!
Lord British's first enemy was the evil Mondain. What they have in common is
that they are both immortal to some extent. Lord British fought Mondain's black
magic with his white magic and defeated him in Akalabeth, however Mondain
returned for Ultima 1 and the crybaby British had to call the Avatar since his
mommy wasn't there. Mondain obtained his immortality by slaying his own
father and taking his Ruby of Power, which he later transformed into the black
Evil Gem.
With the help of the three Shadowlords who threw Lord British in a cell in
the Underworld, Lord Blackthorn rose to power and had his own castle built.
When the Avatar freed Lord British, our friend the king was compassionate and
let Blackthorn decide whether to face the Council or be exiled from Britannia
thanks to British's Orb of the Moons, and Blackthorn chose to be exiled.
He was mentioned in Serpent Isle, showing that me might have visited there.
This illusive foe returned in Ultima 9 with the help of the Guardian, and he
was a thorn in the Avatar's side all along until he was killed by Lord
British in the Abyss.
These three spectral foes were the only ones capable of making Lord British
innocuous and throwing him into the Dungeon Doom in the deep Underworld. They
were immortal to normal means of killing, and if anyone was strong enough to
kill a Shadowlord, it would come back to life. Their focus of power was in Lord
British's Sceptre which they stole and left in Stonegate. The Shadowlords
corrupted Lord Blackthorn's once noble soul and sat him on the throne.
They used to haunt the towns of Britannia as well as guard the sceptre at
Stonegate and the entrance of the dungeon Doom for any who dared try to free
Lord British. But the Avatar managed to destroy them by burning the shards of
Mondain's Evil Gem in the flames of the three Principles. It took long to
get rid of them and it was with great fatigue that they were destroyed, but
they return in Martian Dreams. In Martian Dreams, they appear in the final dream,
accessed through the Dream Machine in Argyre, and they set the final tests based
on the three principles before the Avatar can reach Raxachk.
The inhabitants of Serpent Isle are all people who left Britannia because
they consider Lord British's virtues tyrannical. They instead use their own
virtues, which are not at all bad.
The most powerful threat to Britannia was that of the Guardian. The Guardian
charmed Britannians through the Cube Generator and put Batlin as the leader of
a group that would pretend to be doing good – The Fellowship. The chief
members of The Fellowship would gain power throughout Britannia and would, in
the end, build a black moongate out of blackrock that would function only at
the Astronomical Alignment, an event that takes place every 800 years. However
the Avatar destroyed the Black Gate just when the Guardian was preparing to
enter Britannia through it. The Guardian's revenge was to banish the Avatar
into Pagan, and when the Avatar returned he found Britannia ruined. He had to
merge himself with the Guardian to defeat him, and ascend with him into the
heavens and become the constellation of the Ankh. The Guardians' plans are
always well organised, however the Avatar always manages to ruin them.
Nobody knows why Lord British is immortal. Well I guess the sissy Richard
Garriott is too scared to die. However the fact is that Lord British cannot be
killed in hand–to–hand combat and can only be killed in some of the
games with special means.
There are only three ways you can get a quest to the Codex of Ultimate
Wisdom. You either must get permission from the Temple of
Singularity in Gargoyle lands (Ultima 6), or must go to the shrines
(Ultima 5) or you ask Lord British (Ultima 4). Well you don't have to stay
asking Uncle British for permission in Ultima 4, the quest is given
automatically. Otherwise, if you don't get a quest, the stone gargoyles won't
let you see the Codex.
If you ask Lord British about his health (Ultima 4) or ask to be healed
(Ultima 6 and 7), he will heal all wounds and cure all poison of all the
party members. In Ultima 7 he will even resurrect party members. In Ultima 5
he will come sometimes as an apparition when you camp and will appear on the
campfire to heal you and raise your levels. He also appeared to the man in the
Yew jail accused of heresy, and it's that man who explains that the apparition
actually is Lord British. In Ultima Underworld 2 Lord British doesn't heal
you because the blackrock gem drains his magic (thanks to Hacki Dragon for this)
and he doesn't heal you in Ultima 9 either.
Talking to Lord British (Ultima 4) will make him automatically raise any
levels acquired by your party. In Ultima 5 he will come in your sleep to do
this. In Ultima 3 he will raise levels to about level 5, after that you need
the Mark of Kings.
In Ultima 5 Lord British's stuff is scattered all over the world and the
underworld. You have to find his four items to finish the game.
His crown disables use
of magic if worn (like Jaana's Storm Cloak in
Ultima 6), acting like an IN AN or Negate Magic spell, and is found in the
magically locked room on the roof of Blackthorn's castle (be careful – the
stone gargoyles will attack you as you approach the door).
His sandalwood box is in the magically locked room of his own castle. To get to
it you must play "Stones" (678–987–8767653) on the harpischord there
to make a section of the wall disappear, and the box is beyond that wall. It
contains the Orb of the Moons and must be given to Lord British at the end of the
game so he can teleport everyone out of the prison there.
The sceptre is at
Stonegate, surrounded by traps, and you need the magic carpet from the same
room as the sandalwood box to get over the traps otherwise they'll kill you.
Besides, you must kill the Shadowlords first or they'll come and get you, or
else you can sneak around them if you are lucky. The sceptre is only used at
the end of the game, in the Dungeon Doom where Lord British is held prisoner,
and is used to dispel the special fields in there.
Finally, the snake amulet
(from the times of Mondain – it was used to summon Lord British from Earth)
is in the Underworld at the graves of the knights that went on the expedition
with Lord British, at the southeast of the Underworld. You need it also in the
Underworld, when you go to the Dungeon Doom. Doom is surrounded by darkness,
and unless you're wearing the amulet, you'll get lost if you enter the darkness
and you won't be able to get out.
Both Blackthorn's Castle and Stonegate absorb
any magic cast so it is essential to obtain the skull keys from Minoc or
Serpent's Hold to open the locked doors; though this is not the case in
Castle British where you can open the magically locked door with magic or by
firing the cannon onto it a few times and smashing it.
Ultima 6 is the only Ultima game where you can see a person's inventory.
Lord British wears a pair of common leather boots, on his fingers he wears a
regeneration ring (green) and a protection ring (red). Besides he wears his
snake amulet.
As Natreg Dragon told me, this contained the Ankh of Spirituality. It can only
be opened by playing "Stones" on the harpischord in Lord British's
room, and Siona teaches the tune.
Lord British is immortal, 'tis true, but there are certain exceptions when
there are ways to kill him.
- In Ultima 2 he can be killed by normal means.
- In Ultima 3 (I read this somewhere, I don't know if it works) you can
make Lord British come after you by killing someone, then find the ship in
his castle and fire at him.
- In Ultima 6 you can only kill Lord British if you break a glass sword on
him while he is asleep. Although dead, he then gets on his feet, but remains
immobile and standing up, like a statue.
- In Ultima 7, as Dragon sources have stated, you can
kill Lord British in 3 ways:
- use the Blackrock Sword's death power on Lord British
- another is to use the plaque at the garden when he's under
it so it kills him
- kill him by cannonfire.
- Natreg Dragon tells me that LB can be killed by normal means in Serpent
Isle, when he is found in the Realm of Dreams.
- In Ultima 9 there is a way to kill Lord British that is going around,
which I have here with a couple of corrections by me:
Killing Lord British
- This dastardly scheme has to be started while you're back on Earth. On top
of the refrigerator you'll find a container of poison. Take that poison
and put it in the bread maker on the counter by dragging it onto it.
You'll know you put it in because it disappears.
- Take the bag of flour and just place it on top of the bread maker. Click
on the bread maker to use it. If you put both things in right, a piece
of noxious, poisonous bread will appear. DO NOT EAT IT!
- Place it in your bag and make your way to the Gypsy as normal. The bread
will go to Britannia with you.
- Once in Castle British, make your way to the dining room. Go into the
secret room and you'll see a plate with bread on it.
- Replace the bread with the poisoned bread in your backpack. Wait
patiently for LB to come in for his dinner and watch him choke and gag
to death! Of course you can't continue with the game from here. To
actually continue with the game you'll have to load a game prior to your
placing the bread on the plate. Just keep the bread in your room in the
castle as a keepsake this time.
This little trick is a discovery of my own. Nobody else discovered this little
trick, one of the many tricks in Ultima 6. In this trick you can take Lord
British's items. That's why I call it 'The Age of Thieves'
because you literally rob Lord British! But there is one small insignificant
price to pay – you will get killed (no problem, Lord British will
resurrect you).
- The first step is to find Sherry the mouse in Castle British
and make her join by offering her some cheese.
- Now go to the throne room and keep Sherry close to Lord British and the
Avatar far, so she'll die first.
- Open her inventory and keep it open.
- Now make her attack Lord British.
- When Lord British kills her, her inventory will be replaced with his! You
will see the inventory of a character named Zeta, none other than the good old
Lord British. Now you can move his items (the snake amulet, a regeneration ring,
a protection ring and leather boots!) to your characters and after you die and
he resurrects you (he still resurrects you even though you rob and attack him!)
the items will still be in your inventory! You can also see his attributes if
you feel like:
- Str: 30
- Dex: 30
- Int: 30
- Magic: 0 (Quite strange since British is a master of white magic)
- Health:255/240
- Lev: 8
- Exp: 9999
Note: Natreg Dragon reminds me that there is an easier way to steal LB's
items in U6. Just cast a pickpocket spell.
I took about 3 hours to type this document the first time, and now I have a
good compilation of information about Lord British done by me, my first document.
– Dino
I never met the following people, but I got some information from their
documents. Thanks to:
| Lord British | for actually making the games |
| Prescient Dragon | for the bit on killing Lord British in
Ultima 9 which I first saw on his website |
| Ophidian Dragon | for the
History of Britannia from where
I got British's origins |
| The
Ultima Online Archive |
for getting so much Ultima related information on the website |
| Doug the Eagle Dragon | for the bit on how to kill LB in Ultima 6 |
| Selece Dragon | for some things on how to kill LB in Ultima 7 |
| Steven J. Saunders | for the bit on killing LB with a cannon in U7 |
| Houston Dragon | from whose website I got the Saunders bit |
| Natreg Dragon | for information |
| Hacki Dragon | for information |
And, finally, last but not least, myself for compiling all the information
and for the trick on robbing Lord British in Ultima 6.
– Dino
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