Castle Britannia

Description
Castle Britannia lies at the north end of Britain, south of Serpent's Spine. The castle is surrounded by a moat, and heavily guarded. Castle Britannia is not only where Lord British, king of all of Britannia, lives, but also the political heart of the country. Here, the Great Council meets to debate the problems of the land and find solutions. In fact, it is here where virtually all important decisions of the realm are made. Also, once a week, Lord British gives public audiences where everyone can bring his or her matters before the king, as long as he or she waits in the line.

The two main sights inside the castle are the great hall, where big events like feasts are held; and the throne room, where Lord British holds audiences. Castle Britannia is also the symbol of Infinity: the combination of the Eight Virtues and three Principles molded together

History
The castle as seen in Ultima I was a single-story structure, and was fairly sparse compared to the castles seen in later Ages. It had storehouses for armour, weapons and food, as well as a prison with a modest two cells. Lord British's castle in Sosaria was actually unseen in Ultima II, but thanks to the temporal meddling of the sorceress Minax, it somehow existed in multiple time-zones on Earth. During these events, the castle appeared the same no matter which era it was visited in, until Minax was brought to justice by the Stranger.

The castle was again seen in Ultima III, and by this time, the castle housed a healer and Oracle. Additionally, the royal store rooms were now sealed off by an energy field, and the prison had added a torture chamber, which was later removed.

When Exodus was destroyed, the foundations of Sosaria were rocked by cataclysmic changes. Whether the old castle was destroyed by these events and rebuilt, or stood strong against the twisting geography has been lost to history. In the end however, the castle found its way to the centre of Britannia on the shores of the Britanny Bay.

Initially, during the time of Ultima IV, it was outside of the urban region, in the wilderness. From here, Lord British ruled over this new land. An entrance to dungeon Hythloth existed behind the castle at this time, an entrance which later disappeared. It was at this time that the castle was named "Castle Britannia", as the Britannia had just been formed (previously, it had only been known as "Lord British's Castle"). By the time of Ultima V, the Britannys had grown around the castle, and the castle had temporarily lost its purpose in the wake of Lord British's absence and Blackthorn's dictatorship.

After this, in Ultima VI and VII, the castle was returned to its intended function. Britain, which had swallowed the Britannys, grew around it, so the castle eventually became part of the city. The castle was also enlarged, housing the children of the members of the Great Council. In Ultima Underworld II, most of the action took place in the castle. Cut off from the world by the Blackrock Dome of the Guardian, it was only after the Avatar had completed numerous adventures that the castle was freed -- right before it was overrun with soldiers from Killorn Keep.

In Ultima VII Part Two, Lord British told the Avatar of a crack in the foundation of the castle, although it is not known if it threatened the castle's stability.

The castle had changed little in Ultima IX, with Lord British's throne room taking up most of the bottom floor, and his private chambers moved to the second floor.

Ultima I

 * Six guards
 * Gwino the jester (most likely Gwenno)
 * Lord British
 * A captive princess

Ultima II
On all times:
 * Andre the French Chef
 * Lord British
 * Brother Antos

Only on Earth (1423 B.C.):
 * Bishop Bob
 * Commander Decker
 * A wandering bard

Only on Earth (1990 A.D.):
 * Sister Sledge
 * A merchant
 * A subdued balron

Ultima III

 * Chuckles
 * Cookie
 * Several guards
 * Gwino (most likely Gwenno)
 * Iolo
 * Lord British
 * Phantom fighter
 * Wise cleric



Ultima IV


Ultima V

 * Alistair: bard
 * Chuckles: court jester
 * Desiree: kitchen girl
 * Drudgeworth: prisoner
 * Margaret: upper kitchen chef
 * Max Engel: Sells weapons/armour at the North Star Armoury
 * Stephen: lower kitchen chef
 * Saduj: an agent of the Oppression
 * Stillwelt: guard
 * Treanna: stable girl



Ultima VI

 * Chuckles: court jester
 * Geoffrey: captain of the guard
 * Lord British: the king
 * Maldric: kitchen chef
 * Nystul: royal magician
 * Sherry the Mouse: a mouse

And below in the sewers.


 * Daros: sewer worker
 * Phoenix: thief



Ultima VII

 * Benny: chief butler
 * Boots: cook
 * Charles: servant
 * Chuckles: court jester
 * Geoffrey: captain of the guard
 * Inwisloklem: member of the Great Council
 * Kristy: child
 * Lord British: the king
 * Miranda: member of the Great Council
 * Max: child of Miranda
 * Nanna: child maid
 * Nell: room maid
 * Nicholas: child
 * Nystul: royal magician
 * Sherry the Mouse: a mouse
 * Weston: innocent prisoner
 * Wislem: royal advisor



Ultima Underworld II

 * Charles: head butler
 * Dupre: Companion of the Avatar
 * Feridwyn: Paws poorhouse director
 * Geoffrey: captain of the guard
 * Iolo: Companion of the Avatar
 * Julia: Companion of the Avatar
 * Lady Tory: noblewoman
 * Lord British: the king
 * Miranda: member of the Great Council
 * Nanna: child maid
 * Nell: servant
 * Nelson: scholar
 * Nystul: royal magician
 * Patterson: mayor of Britain
 * Syria: leader of the Library of Scars

And below in the sewers.


 * Dripper: goblin
 * Fissif: thief
 * Rogwump: goblin
 * Unnamed Goblin: goblin



Ultima IX

 * Hennington: seneschal
 * Keller: weaponsmaster
 * Laurana: sorceress
 * Lord British: the king
 * Siona: musican
 * Vasagralem: gargoyle king
 * Prisoner: prisoner

Trivia

 * It is a running gag that in no two Ultimas does the interior of the castle look the same.
 * Lord British declares in Ultima VII that he would never go even close to the children's room. Quoting: "Kings and dirty diapers don't mix."
 * The castle has its own well.
 * In Ultima V, it was possible to repeatedly access the treasure vault without using more than one skull key. If a bed on the same level as the vault was used and the player slept for an hour, the player could return to the vault and find the door still unlocked--but full treasure chests will have reappeared.
 * The magic carpet could be found here in Ultima V.
 * Though it is not explicitly stated, it is very likely that the Gwino character that appears in Ultima I and Ultima III is the same as Gwenno.