Montor



Montor is a Sosarian city that appears in Ultima I, and later as Montor East and Montor West in Ultima III. A place noted for its martial tradition, Montor houses numerous armouries and weaponsmiths, and is defined by its populace's unique respect for the Principle of Courage.

Age of Darkness
In the archaic Sosaria of Ultima I, Montor was a single settlement that could be found on the southern peninsula of the Lands of Lord British, near the dungeon of Death's Awakening. Largely unremarkable, it offered the services of a modest grocery and arms merchant, but little else.

Upon the realm's sundering and its subsequent unification under Lord British, Montor expanded greatly, spilling over into two separate cities on either side of a forking river by the time of Ultima III. Throughout this period, Montor East and Montor West (also known as the Twin Brothers of Strength) were well renowned as being home to many fighters, and the linked settlements enjoyed a reputation as a place where men of action found their calling. Lord British, eager to have cartographic records of all his kingdom, sent a Lord Asa to the Montors during this age, that maps of the cities might be procured for the monarch's "Great Work" in charting all of known Sosaria.

During the Stranger's mission to slay Exodus in Ultima III, the hero found many of the Montorians were quite knowledgeable of the devices known as the cards and that some had recommendations as to how to utilize the Magic Shrines of Ambrosia. Others also mentioned the importance of the mystic marks and of the exotic arms and armour.

Age of Enlightenment
Following Exodus' eventual destruction and Lord British's proposed renaissance of Virtue in the newly established Britannia, the Montors came into ideological conflict with the culture of the Age of Enlightenment. Many Montorians, deeply ensconced in their ideals of courageous warrior-hood, rejected the morality system that British was establishing, feeling it de-emphasized the crucial Virtue of Courage. These fighters, along with other discontents from the settlements of Fawn and Moon, banded together under the mage Erstam and chose to emigrate from Britannia, rather than live under what they saw as an unjust system of enforced morality. Taking to the seas, the dissidents eventually came to land on Serpent Isle, where the Montorian faction established the new city of Monitor.

Back in Britannia, the twin Montors faded from prominence, disappearing entirely by the age of Ultima IV and the accompanying Quest of the Avatar.

Montor East

 * Baby Bob
 * Jolly Joe

Montor West

 * Sentri
 * Shamino Salle' Dacil

Ultima I

 * The Bloody Blade: weapon shop
 * Fresh Food Marketplace: tavern/grocery

Montor East

 * Ace Armoury: armoury
 * Acme Weaponry: weapon shop
 * The Brown Orc: tavern/grocery

Montor West

 * Ambrosian Delight: tavern/grocery
 * Armour: armoury
 * Weapon: weapon shop

Trivia

 * In Ultima I, the cities of Montor (in the Lands of Lord British), John (in the Lands of the Feudal Lords), Imagination (in the Lands of the Dark Unknown) and Bulldozer (in the Lands of Danger and Despair) are facsimiles of one another, sharing identical layouts, stores, and citizenry; each differs only in name and location.