Yorl

Yorl is a fisherman of Skara Brae in Ultima VI: The False Prophet.

Description
A towering, brawny man with a jovial demeanor, Yorl was raised in the island city of Spirituality, born to a coastal raider who sailed in Lord British's fleets and perished when his ship, the Merideth Ann, went down in a violent storm along with its crew of almost two hundred. Drawn to the sea himself, Yorl took an interest in fishing from an early age along with his childhood friend, Quenton Delancy. In one such endeavor, the young pair set out on a skiff during the evening hours hoping to catch a light-horn, a bioluminescent fish fabled to bring good fortune; to their shock, they were instead approached by a giant sea serpent, forcing the panicked boys to hastily row for their lives back to Skara Brae's shores.

As an adult, Yorl traded fishing poles for nets and made a profession of trawling the oceans, establishing himself in a small abode nearby the island's northern pier. Remaining close friends with Quenton, the two became inseparable following the tragic kidnapping and death of Quenton's wife, Gwen; Yorl would prove a great support to his anguished friend throughout this ordeal, and often took him to drink at The Haunting Inn, the lodging establishment owned by their mutual friend, Gideon. When Quenton himself was coldly murdered late one evening (attributed at the time to the recently emergent gargoyles, though later revealed to be at the hand of the reclusive Michael ), Yorl and Gideon took his chronically ill daughter Marney under their care. Yorl returned to the frail girl her father's precious locket, which the fisherman had recovered from Quenton's body upon being notified of his death by Gideon and local winemaker Stivius.

The Avatar returned to Britannia some time after this incident, in July of the year 161, and in questing to resolve the escalating Gargish conflict, had cause to visit Skara Brae in search of the Rune of Spirituality. Yorl could reliably be found working at the pier therein, albeit enduring a downturn in his livelihood as the surrounding waters had fallen bereft of fish in recent times. Although he was unable to assist in the matter of the rune, he could regale the hero with the exploits of his youth, as well as recount the tragedies leading to his guardianship of Marney. Yorl would express great fondness for the young girl and jocularly proclaim, as her father figure, any suitor desiring her hand in marriage would first have to best him in combat.

In conversation relating to Skara Brae's other citizens, Yorl would speak well of Gideon, but found his wife Marta somewhat irksome for her complaints regarding the unsightliness of his shack. The seaman felt Stivius was unusual and perhaps prone to indulging in his own wine, particularly after reports of the nautically-inclined Quenton's ghostly form haunting his vineyard. Town mayor Trenton Bell was characterized by Yorl as a pompous man who found the docks malodorous, and thus was rarely found in their vicinity. Finally, Yorl harbored a distrust of the outsider, Michael, warning the Avatar to avoid him should the name be mentioned.

Mere months after the Avatar's sojourn to Skara Brae and the brokering of peace between humans and gargoyles, Marney succumbed to her long illness, despite Yorl's best efforts to care for her. Upon her passing he enshrined her remains in a tomb of his construction, which would endure the horrific blaze that later engulfed the entire island. While it is not known whether Yorl's own life was claimed by this disaster or some other means, the memory of his goodwill would remain with the shade of Quenton two centuries later in Ultima VII: The Black Gate.

The Ultima 6 Project
In The Ultima 6 Project, Yorl noted Michael had spread the claim he was a descendant of one of Mondain's henchmen, and felt anyone who would tell such a story was suspect.