Moongate

Moongates are magical doors made of moonlight, and are considered a fast, easy and safe way to travel through Britannia. There are four known types of Moongates, who's properties have changed through the ages, the most common being the naturally appearing blue Moongates, in addition to the artificially created red, silver and black gates.

Blue Moongates
Blue Moongates appear at eight places in Britannia, where the Moonstones are burried in the ground. Their function and destination is pending on the twin Moons Trammel and Felucca. Only very powerful artifacts, like Lord British's Amulet, can create a Blue Moongate somewhere else. The system of the Blue Moongates changed several time in the series:


 * The Blue Moongates where first seen in Ultima III. Back then, Trammel's phase decided which gate was open, while Felucca's phase determined the destination gate. The same system applied without changes to Ultima IV. Both Moons at the same phase either meant no travel, or at double Full Moon to the shrine of Spirituality.
 * In Ultima V, the system changed significantly. Now the moon highest in the sky determined the destination gate, and the Moongates only opened at night. The same applied to Ultima VI, but the Moonstones where stolen by the Gargoyles. When both Moons where at the same hight on the horizon, the gate led to the Shrine of Spirituality.


 * By Ultima VII, the Sphere Generator of the Guardian disturbed the Moongates greatly in their function. One gate only led to the next higher one, and they were open all the time. In the end, the destruction of the Sphere closed the Moongates, ending their existence.

Each Moon Phase is bound to one specific city gate:


 * New Moon: Moonglow


 * Crescent Waxing: Britain


 * First Quarter: Jhelom


 * Gibbous Waxing: Yew


 * Full Moon: Minoc


 * Gibbous Waning: Trinsic


 * Last Quarter: Skara Brae


 * Crescent Waning: New Magincia

Red Moongates
Red Moongates are created with the Orb of the Moons, a very powerful and ancient artifact. They can lead practically everywhere, according to the Orb's placement and distance. With a Red Moongate, travel between Worlds becomes possible. However, the more distant the travelling goal, the more precise the placement has to be.

The first Red Moongate appeared in Ultima V, when Lord British used it to escape dungeon Doom, later, Lord Blackthorn left Britannia through another gate. In Ultima VI, the Orb of the Moons was used frequently and often, after the Avatar used for the first time a Red Moongate to travel to Britannia. In Savage Empire, a Red Moongate is used at the end to leave Eodon.By Ultima VII, the Sphere Generator made the Orb instable. With the destruction of the Sphere, the Orb ceased function, and the Red Moongates were history.

Silver Moongates
Silver Moongates, also known as Time Gates, are used for time travel. The destination to which time the gate will lead to go is fixed for each gate, and can't be changed. They are rare and unusual type of Moongate known to exist only Ultima II.

These Moongates only appeared in Ultima II, a result of Minax meddling with time itself to destroy Earth. They vanished after the end of the game. They led to the following times:
 * Time of Legends
 * Pangea, 200 Mio. B.C.
 * 1423 B.C.
 * 1990 A.D.
 * Aftermath 2112 A.D.

Although not appearing as silver, a Cubic Black Time Gate appeared in the first installment of the Worlds of Ultima series, The Savage Empire, as an artificial creation of the Insectiod Myrmidex Queen in her plot to destroy her races one time masters, the reptilian Kotl. In the Second and final installment, Martian Dreams, the Avatar traveled with Dr. Spector back in time to the year 1895 by way of electrical manipulation of the Avatar's Orb of the Moons.

Black Moongates
Black Moongates are different from the other Moongates, that they aren't energy. No, they are built of Blackrock, and then somehow activated, meaning that they are solid. Black Moongates allow even further travel, to other dimensions and universes. Only extraordinary astronomical events, like the Astronomical Alignment can make a Black Moongate work.

The only Black Moongate in Britannia was the Black Gate of the Guardian in Ultima VII, which was destroyed at the end, a moment before the Guardian managed to come through. Another Black Gate in the series, which actually didn't look like a Moongate at all, was the Black Obelisk at the end of Ultima VIII. It can be argued that the the big jewel in the sewers in Ultima Underworld II also acted like a Black Moongate, as well as the Black Cubic Gate created by the Myrmidex Queen.