Towne Mary



Towne Mary is a town on Mars in the year 2112 A.D. It appears to exist within the alternate time line created by Minax's interventions during Ultima II.

Description
Towne Mary was a modest settlement, and seemingly the only one existing on the red planet during the 22nd century. It is not clear as to whether the city would have historically occurred independent of Minax's interference with the history, and it appeared to bear little resemblance to the Martian civilization which the Avatar would later encounter three centuries prior in Martian Dreams.

During the time in which the committee of survivors of Earth's apocalypse compiled information, Mars was known to have viable life upon it. Curiously, the initials of Lord British appeared in the center square of Towne Mary, implying that the then Terran ruler may have had influence upon the city in some way - similar monuments could also be found in Terran Towne Linda in 1423 B.C. and in Towne Makler on the distant planet Pluto. A historian within the town further claimed that American president George Washington stayed within the town at some point in time, pointing to additional ties to the blue planet.

It is unknown if Mary existed after the death of Minax and the ensuing correction of the time stream, although Earth certainly took a different historical path regarding the common knowledge of life on Mars, and any relations that may have existed between the two planets were likely severed by the realignment of temporal norms.

Inhabitants

 * Hecate: a witch
 * Marlin Perkins: a zoologist threatening to zap those who would not leave him in peace
 * Owen K. Garriott: an astronaut looking for his shuttle
 * The Historian: an individual making claims regarding George Washington's visitation of Mary

Shops and Services

 * The Pub: Tavern
 * Armoury
 * Weapon's Shoppe
 * Transport Shoppe

Trivia

 * Hecate is the Grecian goddess of witchcraft, who has featured often in literature and in neo-Pagan revival. Her dialogue, "Bubble bubble toil and trouble!" is a quotation from Shakespeare's Macbeth, in which she was included as a character.
 * Owen K. Garriott, a real world Skylab astronaut, is the father of series creator Richard Garriott.
 * Marlin Perkins was, in fact, a real zoologist who hosted the program Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. He is known for punching Canadian reporter, Bob McKeown, in the face, following questions as to whether he injured animals during the course of his documentaries.
 * A Mary Tyler Rollo was is listed in the credits for Ultima II and was responsible for the game's manual. It is possible that she lends her name to this city.