Mars

Mars is a planet within the Terran Solar System. It occurs twice within the Ultima series, in what are likely instances of two different parallel universes.

Its first appearance is in Ultima II, where it is possible to visit Mars in the year 2112 A.D. using a rocket ship.

Its second appearance, in Martian Dreams, takes place during 1895 A.D., in what should be considered canonical reality. In this incarnation, Mars is shown to be home to various species of fantastical plant-derived creatures and was once inhabited by a civilization of intelligent Martians.

In the Avatar's home world
It has been established that the Earth of the "normal" time stream took a different historical path regarding the common knowledge of life on Mars. According to observations which were made by the Mariner and Viking probes, no evidence of any civilization was found by Earth astronomers.

During XXII Century (Ultima II)
When the Stranger travelled in time to this age, Mars was located at coordinates 6,2,3.

In Ultima II, the Martian surface is a rocky, mountainous terrain, with canyons and valleys (perhaps the fabled canals of the red planet) crisscrossing across it. The famous icecaps of Mars are absent, although water can still be found in the form of a solitary lake. A settlement known as Towne Mary can be found in the largest crater of the Martian surface, with scant vegetation growing nearby. Given reports that Earth's people knew of viable life on the planet, and observations that Lord British's initials had been engraved into Mary's town square, it is possible that this city was a Terran colony, which would make its presence compatible with the earlier historic record of Martian civilization.

Regardless of this possibility, it is quite probable that Towne Mary vanished from reality when Time Doors disappeared. In fact, due to the nature of Minax's magic, the reality in which this Mars appears was officially declared "ahistorical" by the scholars of Britannia.

During XIX Century (Martian Dreams)
In Martian Dreams, the red planet is the center stage for the game's unfolding action and is thoroughly explored, though also being quite different from the Mars known in the present.

After getting detailled instructions from the past and travelling back in time to the year 1895 through a time gate, the Avatar and Dr. Johann Spector accompanied a mission to Mars with scientific genius Nikola Tesla to rescue the crew of an accidental 1893 launch headed by Percival Lowell, which had stranded many celebreties of the time on the red planet.

In this reality, at this point in history, the Martian surface was actually fertile and its atmosphere breathable, although not ideal for human oxygenation, thus weakening those walking on the surface. The nineteenth century explorers found that Mars supported a plethora of plant-based life forms, and that it was formerly home to a technologically advanced civilization, which had left a network of canals and cities dotting the planet.

It was eventually discovered that the Martian people (bipedal, humanoid plant race) had all perished in a great plague unleashed by the madman Raxachk, which had permeated the Martian soil. In order to save themselves, the Martians had transferred their consciousness to the metaphysical plane of dream space, awaiting a means to return to the material world.

The Avatar eventually was able to secure new mechanical bodies for the people of the red planet after growing new plant bodies failed. However, due to the machinations of the wicked Raxachk, the phlogistonite fuel for the Terran space vessel was transported into the realm of dreams. In the process of returning it to the waking world, the hero triggered catastrophic storms which would eventually strip the Martian surface and atmosphere of all evidence of life. In the opening stages of this cataclysm, the Terran exploration teams and the newly returned Martians were able to escape the dying planet to Earth.

Ultima II

 * Towne Mary

Cities

 * Argyre: a Martian settlement which served as the stronghold for the possessed Rasputin while he was under Raxachk's influence
 * Elysium: a Martian settlement in which the former inhabitants possessed the bodies of human explorers in the hopes of securing their return
 * Hellas: a Martian settlement in which the former inhabitants remained in the dream realm, objecting the methods of the Elysians
 * Olympus: a Martian settlement which held the bulk of the human populace during their time on the red planet

Other Areas of Interest

 * Abandoned City: a long abandoned Martian settlement, empty since before the plague
 * Coprates Chasma: a series of tunnels, connecting to Noctis Labyrinthus
 * Landing Sites: the impact points of the two Terran space cannons
 * Lens Towers: the devices used to melt the polar ice caps that water might be provided for the Martian canals
 * Noctis Labyrinthus: tunnels of oxium mines, where Cooter McGee was making his living
 * North Pole Lab: a research facility which was developing mechanical bodies for use by the Martians
 * Power Plant: a coal-powered facility providing electricity to the planet
 * Pumping Station: the machinery necessary for filling the Martian canals
 * Syrtis Major: a series of mountains and caverns housing an abandoned Martian iron mine
 * Trading Post: a spot for bartering supplies and equipment, set up by Terrans Martha "Calamity Jane" Cannary Burke and William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody

Strange Phenomena

 * Face on Mars