Fawn

Fawn is a city on Serpent Isle that appears in Ultima VII Part Two.

Description
Fawn was built atop the waters of a bay on the western coast of Serpent Isle's mainland, situated to the north of the Knight's Test and the forest surrounding it. A city of sailors and fishermen, it served as its world's primary supplier of fish in its heyday, and the bulk of travel and trade between the Isle of Beyond and the rest of New Sosaria was carried out by the Fawnish fleet. Unlike other cities, Fawn is set for optical beauty, with all buildings being build from white marble and surrounded with other beautifications.

At the time of the Avatar's adventures on Serpent Isle, an aura of doom seemed to hang over Fawn and its people. In the days leading up to the Imbalance, the entirety of Fawn's fleet was destroyed by magical storms, leaving an economically unstable populace whose thoughts were heavy with grief over those lost at sea and weighed down with fear regarding the increasingly bold Goblin hoardes. As it became clear to many that the powers of the government had been usurped by Kylista, priestess of the state Cult of Beauty, and the royal adviser Voldin, unrest became rife among the city's youth, and the arrival of Fellowship missionaries from distant Britannia proved to be a catalyst that helped to shape an underground "Cause" opposing the current regime.

History
The denizens of Fawn are descendants of the people of an ancient Sosarian city of the same name, which was said to have been founded by and named for the brilliantly beautiful Lady Fawn. Along with dissidents from the twin settlements of Montor and the city of Moon, a number of the original Fawnese joined the magician Erstam in emigrating from what was then becoming the early kingdom of Britannia. They opposed Lord British's system of the Eight Virtues, believing that the abstract concept of Beauty should be acknowledged as a ninth virtue and revered as a guiding spiritual principle. The rejection of Beauty is a potential virtue by the government had created deep resentment in its followers.

These settlers traversed the mystical Serpent Pillars on a ship known as the Osprey, and eventually came to land on the shores of what had once been the Lands of Danger and Despair in the days before the Stranger had shattered Mondain's gem. The Fawnese built a city here in the vicinity of what would have once been the ancient settlement of Dextron, and there they established their sacred Oracle of Beauty and made the worship of Beauty into a state religion. Under this religion, it was believed only women were capable of True Beauty, and so the rulers of Fawn were always female, with the highest position a man could achieve being a Great Captain, a member of the ruler's council of advisors. However, the women of Fawn were also coddled and discouraged from doing anything that might mar their beauty.

The Imbalance Storms however ruined the economy of the city, as the entire fleet was destroyed by the lightning strikes, also costing the city a good chunk of its population in the process. The inevitable ruin caused Fawn to slide into a state of gloom and depression. The last days of Fawn were eventful. The Avatar had discovered a conspiracy of high-up that held Lady Yelinda, the nominal ruler, powerless and ignorant, toppling the conspirators in the end. But the new rule was only short, when Mad Iolo came to Fawn. He killed next to all inhabitants while letting loose vermin and plague. This was the end of Fawn.

Inhabitants

 * Alyssand: weaver
 * Delin: provisioner
 * Delphynia: horticulturalist
 * Garth: Great Captain
 * Jendon: tavern keeper
 * Jorvin: captain of the guard
 * Joth: Great Captain
 * Kylista: Priestess of Beauty
 * Lady Yelinda: Ruler of Fawn
 * Olon: sailor
 * Seth: healer
 * Voldin: Great Captain
 * Zulith: Chancellor of Fawn

Temporary Inhabitants

 * Leon: Fellowship camp leader
 * Kalen: Sailor (pirate)
 * Ruggs: Fellowship sailor
 * Scots: Cartographer

Services

 * Broken Oar: tavern/inn
 * Provisioner
 * Delphynia's Apothecary

Places of Interest

 * Fawn Palace
 * Fellowship Camp
 * Temple of Beauty

Trivia

 * It is very interesting to see that Fawn looks exactly like the description of Magincia as read in Ultima IV, a city built of marble and with inhabitants that are infected by the anti-virtue of Pride. While the Pride of Magicia was rooted in its wealth, the Pride of Fawn had its roots in the narcissism that inevitably follows the shallow belief of Beauty. Fittingly, both cities meet a similar end for their excessive pride; being destroyed by supernatural forces attracted to such a pool of anti-virtue. Considering all this, this had to be intentional on part of the design team.
 * The original plans for Fawn were quite different from the final game. In these, instead of killing everyone, Mad Iolo installed himself as the ruler of Fawn and ruled with twisted metaphors against certain people. Additionally, he let lose plague and vermin, enjoying watching the vain citizens getting uglier with each hour under such horrible conditions. Of all these things, only the skinning of Lady Yelinda (beauty is only skin-deep) survived into the final game. The vermin is seen in the streets, but has no context in the final game.