Batlin

Batlin is one of the main enemies of the Avatar in Ultima VII and Ultima VII/2. He is a druid of considerable magical powers, and the main servant of the Guardian in Britannia.

Batlin was born in Yew, and grew up with the Druids. As a young adult, he started to travel throughout the land, meeting Elizabeth and Abraham during that time. He went to Skara Brae during that time, and asked Caine for the answers to life and death. When Batlin learned there were none, he concluded: "No meanings. No virtues. No values." That was the beginning of his darkness. Contacted by the Guardian a short time later, he, Elizabeth and Abraham created the Fellowship in their hunger for power, to enable the Guardian to take over the lands of Britannia.

Before the Avatar had even arrived in Britannia for Ultima VII, Batlin had hired a ship, a crew and scholars to go on ahead of him to Serpent Isle. Gwenno was one of the scholars. This crew brought with them a Blackrock obelisk. After establishing an encampment on Serpent Isle, Gwenno left to explore and research the land.

Batlin in Ultima VII: The Black Gate
By Ultima VII, the Fellowship had grown considerably, and Batlin was a well-liked and famous man, hiding his evilness behind a front of peacefulness and benevolence. Meanwhile, Batlin had prepared everything for the imminent arrival of the Guardian, even as far as murdering those who opposed the Fellowship, or those who were getting too close to learning the truth behind their plans.

When the Avatar sought him out, Batlin tried to talk him/her into joining. The Avatar, having good reasons to get closer to the organization and investigate things further, was allowed to join after performing some tasks to prove worthiness. One of the tasks was incredibly dangerous, and one must wonder if it was a trap set to get the Avatar killed.

Only after the destruction of the Cube Generator did Batlin realize that the Avatar was prepared to stop the Guardian, after which he fled from Britain when confronted by the Avatar bearing the blackrock cube (which would force him to speak the truth if the Avatar got him talking).

Batlin escaped from the Battle of the Black Gate after Hook's death, teleporting himself away (or the Guardian teleporting him away) with magic.

Batlin in Ultima VII Part 2: Serpent Isle
Batlin moved around an awful lot in Serpent Isle, so what follows is the best attempt to get exactly what he did and where he went in chronological order.


 * Batlin is presumed to have arrived at the Fellowship encampment on Serpent Isle straight after he fled the Avatar in the Black Gate chamber. He teleported to the site of the blackrock obelisk, which caused it to partially explode.


 * Batlin then travelled to Fawn with a Brunt, Deadeye and Palos. He was in search of Blackrock Serpents, which he could use to open a Wall of Lights. While in and around Fawn, he hired manpower. He ordered the other Fellowship members to preach to the Fawnese.


 * Batlin spoke to the horticulturist Delphynia about reagents and about blackrock artifacts. She told him to talk to Delin about artifacts and Pothos in Moonshade for better reagents.


 * Batlin travelled to Monitor.


 * Batlin tried to recruit Shazzana but she didn't trust him and refused (even though she seemed to like Deadeye).


 * Batlin stole a blackrock serpent from Andral the sculptor in Monitor (the serpent's head curved to the right, so it was the Chaos serpent) before he was thrown out of Monitor by Lord Marsten.


 * Batlin heads to the Inn of the Sleeping Bull and steals Ensorcio's Serpent Jawbone (which he'd been given by his mentor Vasculio, who'd been given it by HIS mentor Erstam).


 * Guess: Batlin attempts to get into the cellar of the Sleeping Bull and find Silverpate's treasure/notes on the Dark Path. Angus, innkeeper of the Sleeping Bull, is involved or interferes somehow, and disappears at the same time Batlin does. It's unclear whether Batlin used the Dark Path here or not as: Captain Hawk says he sailed Batlin to Moonshade, and on the return trip to Sleeping Bull, he brought Selina (who was now in league with Batlin).


 * Batlin bought the secret of catching souls in gems (Soul Prisms) from Torrissio. He gets Ducio to craft him some Worm Gems. He also stole an artifact in Moonshade before leaving--he wanted to purchase Serpent Teeth, and certainly stole some while he was there. It’s also probable he used the Serpent Gate to leave Moonshade and get into the Icelands.


 * Batlin frees the Banes of Chaos from their prisons then hunts down and captures them with the secret Torrissio gives him (even though Torrissio warned him it wouldn’t work on souls of great power). One in the icelands (Wantonness: Gwenno was possessed by this one), one in the Skullcrusher Mountains (Anarchy), the third (Insanity) was in the icelands but escapes into the Northern Forest, and thence to Shamino’s Castle (where Cantra ends up).


 * Batlin finds the last Bane (in Cantra’s body) at Shamino’s Castle and kills her to capture the Bane.


 * The Avatar meets Batlin again, face to face, for the first time since the end of The Black Gate. Batlin uses magic to escape the Avatar.


 * Batlin gets into the Grand Shrine of Order with the intention of using the Banes and his Blackrock Serpent to open the Wall of Lights and achieve power greater than the Guardian’s. Selina and Batlin’s other cronies are killed by the Avatar as s/he fights to get to the Shrine in time to stop Batlin. Selina is convinced that she and Batlin will rule worlds together, and upon death says she will await Batlin in the Void.


 * Batlin opens the Wall of Lights, saying he will enter and become immortal. But he is tricked by the Banes, who break free of their weak prisons and kill him. The Guardian doesn’t lift a finger to protect Batlin, as Batlin has explicitly stated he’s working for himself by that point. Batlin's last words before he's exploded into kibble are to plea to the Avatar for help.

Trivia

 * Batlin is a clear parody of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of The Church of Scientology.
 * Batlin is under the protection of the Guardian. He survives Armageddon. And Arcadion, when the Black Sword with the death power is used on Batlin, says: "He is protected by one much stronger than I!"
 * Batlin claims in The Book of Fellowship to have mastered all three of Britannia's disciplines (Fighter, Bard, and Mage), although this may simply be propaganda. He also claims to have practiced all the eight main professions of Britannia.