Quest of the Avatar

The Quest of the Avatar is the quest to be not just a role model for one or two of the virtues, but the become the embodiment of them all; To prove oneself to be virtuous by nature, and to show the people of the land the way of enlightenment and virtue. Lord British writes about it:

"The Quest of the Avatar is the search for a new standard, a new vision of life for which out people may strive. We seek the person who can become a shining example of our nation and guides us from the Age of Darkness into the Age of Light."

The original Quest of the Avatar in Ultima IV included becoming a partial Avatar in all eight virtues, and then discovering the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom in the depths of the Abyss. But the Quest of the Avatar is never ending; always, the goodness and virtue of an Avatar is tested. It is an eternal struggle against the darkness in man's heart, and to prove again and again to the people of the land that he/she is worthy of the title, "Avatar."

Trivia

 * According to Ultima IX, the Guardian was created by the loss of negative energy when the Quest of the Avatar was completed. This energy needed to go somewhere, and eventually manifested in the form of a "Negative Avatar" - The Guardian: The embodiment of all the evil our hero once held within. This segment of Guardian's origin is highly controversial, as many Ultima fans feel it practically nullifies the whole purpose of the Quest of the Avatar. Ultimately, this origin came about due to several plot changes throughout the Guardian saga, many of which were the results of time constraints put on the games' release dates.