Shrine of Valor

Description
The Shrine of Valor is one of the eight holy sites established by the Council of Wizards during the days of Lord British's philosophical renaissance of the early Age of Enlightenment. This shrine in Britannia is dedicated to the virtue of Valor. Located on the southernmost of the Valorian Isles and accessible only by ship, this lonely site lies near to the city standing for its virtue, Jhelom. During Ultima VII a sword lies on its altar.

Those who seek wisdom at this holy site may gain a deeper understanding of the virtue of Valor, which has its root in the Principle of Courage. Gaining entry to the shrine required the use of a rune at various points in its history, and the mantra "RA" was required to fully glean the insights offered at its altar.

Age of Enlightenment
The Shrine of Valorwas erected around the time of Britannia's christening, and it would figure into the spiritual quest of the Stranger in their pursuit of Avatarhood. The hero would sojourn here after proving themselves of great courage in battle, and would attain ascendance in ways of Valor after meditating on the virtue for three cycles.

Later, in the dark days of Lord Blackthorn and the Oppression, the Avatar would travel again to this sacred place, and would be directed by the powers within it to quest after the knowledge of Valor contained in the enshrined Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. In the struggle to restore Lord British to his throne, the hero would also have to guard this shrine and others and from Blackthorn's attempts to desecrate them, which he would quickly do should he gain access to their mantras. Should the Shrine of Valor be thus defiled, the Avatar could still restore it, using the word of power, "INOPIA."

After the beginning of the Gargish conflict, this shrine and the other seven would all be seized by gargoyle warriors seeking to thwart the prophecy of the False Prophet. In time, however, the Avatar would liberate it from Draxinusom's troops, and could again meditate there on the mysteries of Valor. With proper experience, the Avatar could draw on the shrine to gain a boost to their martial powers.

Age of Armageddon
Over the next two centuries, the Shrine of Valor would fall into disuse, as the seductive philosophies of the Fellowship eventually came to supplant widespread adherence to the Eight Virtues. By the time of the Avatar's eventual return near the time of the Astronomical Alignment, the hero would find the shrine still standing on its remote isle, although none appeared to have made the pilgrimage to it for many years.

Later, during the hero's exile on Pagan, the Guardian and his forces would corrupt the shrine. In doing so, the corresponding rune was twisted into an artifact known as a glyph. During their last journeys in Britannia, the Avatar would be able to cleanse the Shrine of Valorof such evils, using the powers of the Writ of Honesty to undo the damage wrought by the Destroyer of Worlds. The Shrine apparently survived the volcano eruption that destroyed Jhelom, but got occupied by the Demon Triumvirate, which first had to be removed.

Alternate Appearance

 * In Lord of Ultima, a Shrine of Valor can randomly be located in Caledonia.
 * In the cancelled Ultima Online 2 and the Technocrat War trilogy, the Shrine of Valor was to be included on the southwestern continent of Avenosh.

Trivia

 * The Keyring Mod for the Ultima VII utility, Exult, gives the Avatar the option to meditate at the Shrine of Valor using its corresponding rune. It will issue a quest for the hero to seek knowledge of Valor from the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, as it had in previous games.
 * In Ultima VI, the Shrine of Valor adds three bonus points to Strength when advancing a character's level.