Patterson

Patterson is the mayor of Britain and president of the Britannian Tax Council in Ultima VII and is later one of the party guests imprisoned in Castle Britannia during Ultima Underworld II.

Description
Patterson came across as an obsequious and nervous man, eager to please those around him. When the Avatar first passed through Britain during their initial quest against the Guardian, the politician greeted the returned hero warmly, and could supply information about the murder of the ambitious Finister a year prior - whose death was suspected by Finnigan of having links to the slaughter of Christopher in Trinsic.

An obviously ambitious man, Patterson had won the election for his mayoral seat in a landslide victory two years prior - garnering over two thirds of the vote in opposition to his opponent, Brownie. A little digging would reveal that this win at the polls was due in part to Patterson's association with the Fellowship, which had seemingly required its members to back his candidacy with both votes and money. While Brownie, a pumpkin farmer of modest means, would reveal that he had word of a scandal which could break Patterson's campaign, the humble man had refused to resort to petty mudslinging, and would go so far as to refuse to tell the Avatar Patterson's secret directly, if pressed.

Patterson himself would insinuate that he had carried the election due to Brownie's status as being of "lesser lineage" - carefully skirting around any statements which would imply his belief in a hereditary class system. Such polite kowtowing, however, put him in stark conflict with fellow Fellowship member Nanna's views about the still omnipresent Britannian socio-economic divide, and Patterson would grow offended if confronted with his "brother's" analysis of the times.

Should the Avatar choose to follow Patterson diligently, the hero could uncover the mayor's secret: a prolonged adulterous affair with Royal Museum curator Candice. His wife, Judith, appeared unaware of the exacting details, although she complained of her husband's distant attitude and prolonged absences. When found out, Patterson could be confronted by the hero, and would vow to cease his infidelity once it was brought to light.

Later, in Ultima Underworld II, Patterson related that he had approached Judith regarding the tryst and begged her forgiveness, and that after considerable effort the two had reconciled. Imprisoned with other notables in Castle Britannia under the Guardian's blackrock dome, Patterson frequently seemed at a loss as to how to assist in the escape effort, coming across as nervous and often upsetting others with his seeming incompetence. Julia, notably, lost her patience with the man, threatening to feed him to the lurkers following his accidental ruination of some of her work.

Eventually, Patterson was revealed as a traitor in service to the Guardian, when he publicly and fatally stabbed the scholar Nelson in a desperate attempt to keep him from revealing the method of undoing the spell which created the dome. With this act, it became clear that the mayor had previously slain the Lady Tory as well, fearing that her psychic empathy would oust him as the enemy's catspaw - and it seemed further probable that he, himself, had spoken the incantation to complete the gem's summoning - rendering him responsible for the entirety of the festival-goers' tribulations.

Cornered and afraid in light of these revelations, the doomed Patterson attacked the Avatar in single combat, having no other recourse once his alliance was made clear. The hero was eventually able to slay the desperate man, who died with apologies for his wife on his lips.

Trivia

 * In the SNES Port of Ultima VII, Patterson does not appear to be embroiled in any scandal, either relating to his election or to his extramarital activities. He still speaks very highly of the Fellowship, crediting them with negotiating financial agreements which have boosted the economy of Britain greatly.