Britain

Description
Britain is the largest and most prosperous city of Britannia, dedicated to the virtue of Compassion. Situated between Britannia Bay and the Serpent's Spine mountains, Britain has grown over the ages, expanding from a simple towne in the early Age of the Avatar to a sprawling metropolis which came to engulf Castle Britannia and the border of Paws.

At the apex of its development, the northern section of the city, which included Lord British's castle, contained numerous state buildings and royally funded public institutions, such as the Royal Mint, the Museum, the Royal Theatre and the  Hall of Music. It is within Britain that the Great Council held its meetings and the Britannian Tax Council arbitrated the use of the kingdom's funds.

Britain has been famous for its musicians since the days of Exodus, and the bards of the city who strive to embody the virtue of Compassion in their profession. During its early years of Britannia's founding, songsters and entertainers could regularly be found on the public green, educating and amusing the city's children.

The economy of the city has long been one of the strongest in Britannia, and it is also well known as a major port. During its heyday it boasted an extensive commercial district. Iolo's Bows, a bowyer's shop startled by the legendary companion of the Avatar, Iolo FitzOwen, was active in the city for centuries, as was the famous Blue Boar Tavern and Wayfarer's Inn.

A moongate is situated a little east of the city, on the other side of the Britanny River.

History


Britain is a very old settlement, possibly having originated from the city of Akalabeth, during the early days of Lord British's ascent to power after arriving to Sosaria.

Age of Darkness
In Ultima I, Britain stood within the confines of British's fiefdom in the Lands of Lord British, standing alongside such cities of Moon, Old Fawn, Montor and Yew. It was home to an armoury, a weaponsmith, provisioners of magical supplies and transport, a grocery and a pub.

After the sundering of Sosaria following the defeat of Mondain, Britain remained on the remaining continent comprising Sosaria. During this time, Lord British commissioned a project known as the "Great Work" in which he ordered a series of exploratory travels to provide detailed maps of his realm. Iolo FitzOwen, a bard of some renown, in addition to a map, composed a song in honor of the city of Britain, lauding its position as a center of commerce and as home to entertainers and song-writers.



Age of Enlightenment
By the time of Ultima IV, Lord British had united all of Sosaria under the new name of Britannia, following the destruction of Exodus by the Stranger. It was during this time that Britain became dedicated to the virtue of Compassion, in keeping with British's new agenda of ethnically and learning. During this age, the city was still roughly the same size as the other major settlements of the land, with Castle Britannia some distance off to the north from it. The city, perhaps owing to its proximity to the royal castle, had no apparent government of its own. It during this time that Iolo, now residing in the city whose song he had written, joined in the Stranger's quest to attain Avatarhood.

In Ultima V three villages, known as the Britannys, had grown around Castle Britannia. Britain was now known as a major port in the kingdom, with an active shipwright's workshop operating out of East Britanny. Due to the increased tourism following the formation of the Great Council, a thriving hospitality industry flourished in Britain, catering to visitors of the castle. During the oppressive reign of Blackthorn, Britain, like the other major cities, was victim to numerous incursions by the Shadowlords. Iolo FitzOwen, like many of the companions of the Avatar, was driven into hiding, although his shop, Iolo's Bows, still operated under the industry of his wife Gwenno and apprentice Gwenneth. Annon, the city's representative on the Great Council, stayed Britain, hiding in a secret basement within the Wayfarer's Inn to avoid persecution at the hands of Blackthorn's regime.

By Ultima VI, Britain had grown to engulf the former Britannys and now included the lands of Lord British's estate. New public establishments, such as the Museum and the Conservatory had been founded, and a Royal Mint and Royal Orchards had been established in the city. The commercial district, while still home to the well established Wayfarer's Inn and Blue Boar Tavern had expanded greatly over the years. Tholden von Bazillius was mayor of the city at this time.

Age of Armageddon
Over the next two centuries, the city continued its growth, absorbing the village of Paws as one of its suburbs. Commerce expanded, bring jewelers, bakers and clothiers to the city. The Royal Theatre was established and the nascent philosophical group known as the Fellowship established its head branch within the heart of the city, which was now acknowledged as the kingdom's capital. By the time of Ultima VII, the city was the clear cultural and economic center of Britannia, although it, like much of the land, was falling to the slow moral decay that plagued the realm during the early Age of Armageddon. In spite of earlier edicts claiming the abolition of the class system, a social "nobility" remained, and many suffered due to the Britannian Tax Council's uneven regulations. Patterson, the mayor of the city, gained his position riding on Fellowship support, which shunned the "commoner" running against him. Although progressives such as Great Council member, Miranda attempted to reform the entrenched corruption of the era, Britain, like so much of Britannia, was beset with subtle social problems of classism, racism and apathy.

Later, following the eventual disbanding of the Fellowship and the Reconstruction in which many of the realm's deep-seated issues were addressed, Britain was host to the crisis in which Castle Britannia was attacked by the Guardian during a celebration of the kingdom's progress since the destruction of the Black Gate. During this trial in Ultima Underworld II, in which the inhabitants of the castle were walled off from the city by means of a magical Blackrock Dome, Patterson, who was still mayor of Britain at the time, caved to the Guardian's temptations, and murdered two of the other entrapped revelers before being cut down by the Avatar. While the blackrock dome was eventually destroyed and the attempted invasion it prepared for quashed, it is uncertain as to what direction Britain's leadership took after that. To compound matters, the growing Imbalance of the multiverse took its toll on the city over the next year, with teleport storms and earthquakes ravaging the city. The Royal Mint, and with it a great deal of the country's gold, was transposed with the great lighthouse of Fawn from the Serpent Isle. A crack formed in the base of Castle Britannia at this time due to the constant tremors, threatening to topple the citadel.

By the time of Ultima IX, the city had shrunk considerably in size, and the inhabitants of the city had become corrupted by the influence of the Guardians columns, becoming callous and cold-hearted. At that time, Aidon, the mayor of the Britain, had enacted a policy of deporting the infirm and ill of the city to Paws, which had been flooded by the local swamps and reduced to a miserable shanty town. After the local shrine was cleansed and Aidon was confronted with his own daughter's exile, the city began to return to its roots of Virtue, re-embracing Compassion.

Lore
 

Ultima III

 * Dupre

Ultima IV




Ultima V


Ultima VI

 * Anya: tavernkeeper
 * Ariana: holder of the Rune
 * Arty: shipwright
 * Cullen: baker
 * Daver: bell ringer
 * Efram: guild shop keeper
 * Finn: beggar with a strange humor
 * Fyodor: weaver
 * Gwenneth: shopkeeper at Iolo's Bows
 * Kenneth: bard teacher
 * Kytyn: curator of the Museum
 * Lazeena: bard
 * Linda: farmer
 * Lynn: fletcher
 * Matt: mute man
 * Max: armourer
 * Nan: bard
 * Nema: orchard keeper
 * Peyton: innkeeper
 * Rufus: blacksmith
 * Terri: director of the Royal Mint
 * Tholden: mayor of Britain
 * Tiberius: healer of Britain
 * Wilbur: works in the stables



Ultima VII

 * Amber: actress and Shamino's girlfriend
 * Batlin: leader of the Fellowship
 * Brownie: pumpkin farmer
 * Candice: curator of the Museum
 * Carrocio: overseer of the play ground
 * Clint: shipwright
 * Csil: healer
 * Cynthia: director of the Royal Mint
 * Coop: shopkeeper at Iolo's Bows
 * Denby: trainer in Britain
 * Diane: keeper of the stables
 * Figg: keeper of the Apple Orchard
 * Fred: meat seller
 * Gaye: clothier
 * Gordon: sells Fish n' Chips
 * Grayson: arms seller
 * Greg: owner of the tool shop
 * James: innkeeper
 * Jeanette: barmaid
 * Jesse: actor
 * Judith: director of the Bard Hall
 * Kessler: owner of the Apothecary
 * Kelly: farmer's wife
 * Lucy: barmaid
 * Mack: farmer east of Britain
 * Millie: recruiter for the Fellowship
 * Neno: musician
 * Patterson: mayor of Britain
 * Raymundo: director of the Royal Theatre
 * Sean: jeweler in Britain
 * Sentri: trainer and companion of the Avatar
 * Shamino: companion of the Avatar
 * Snaz: beggar
 * Stuart: actor
 * Willy: baker
 * Zella: trainer



Ultima IX

 * Aidon: mayor
 * Aleena: museum curator
 * Altara: fortune teller
 * Altomar: mage
 * Amoranth: monk
 * Angus: tavern patron
 * Ashling: miller
 * Bailey: provisioner
 * Cameron: jeweler
 * Dara: barmaid
 * Evidious: Avatar look-alike
 * Farmer Bob: farmer
 * Flann: citizen
 * Giovanni: blacksmith
 * Jastral: baker
 * Killigan: mayor's assistant
 * Kimberly: monk
 * Leon: bowyer
 * Margery: street cleaner
 * Maribeth: mayor's daughter
 * Nico: reagent seller
 * Nimrond: city bouncer
 * Olwyn: merchant
 * Orson: warrior
 * Peiter: sailor
 * Renald: beggar
 * Sarah: keeper of the shrine
 * Sir Robin: warrior

Ultima I

 * The Armour Shop of Lord Eldric D'Charbonneux: armoury
 * Li'l Karelia's Finnish Grocery: grocery
 * Mad Chad's Magic Shoppe: spells
 * Pub de Varg: pub
 * Scooter's Super Duper Transport, Inc.: transports
 * The Weapon Shop of Lord Eldric D'Charbonneux: weapon shop

Ultima III

 * Armoury: armoury
 * De Grocer: grocery
 * The Pub: tavern
 * Weapons: weapon shop

Ultima IV

 * Adventure Food
 * Britannia Manor
 * Jolly Spirits
 * Windsor Armour
 * Windsor Weaponry
 * Wound Healing

Ultima V

 * Iolo's Bows
 * Wayfarer's Inn

Ultima VI

 * Blue Boar Tavern
 * Iolo's Bows
 * Wayfarer's Inn

Ultima VII

 * Blue Boar Tavern
 * Iolo's Bows
 * Wayfarer's Inn

Things to see
There are a number of famous sites located in Britannia's capital.


 * Apple Orchard
 * Castle Britannia
 * Hall of Bards
 * Museum
 * Royal Mint
 * Royal Theatre

Trivia

 * In Ultima I, the cities of Britain (in the Lands of Lord British), Arnold (in the Lands of the Feudal Lords), Nassau (in the Lands of the Dark Unknown) and Gorlab (in the Lands of Danger and Despair) were exactly the same. They had the same layout, stores, and people in it. Their only difference was their name and location on the map.
 * An Eldric D'Charbonneux appears on a Society for Creative Anachronism library listing as the author of "Making a Small Blacksmith's Forge" and "Archimedes Drill." It is possible that the name of the shop in Brtain in Ultima I is based upon this person, given Garriott's penchant for giving his friends in the SCA in-game cameos.