Shrine of Justice

The Shrine of Justice is one of the eight holy sites established by the Council of Wizards during the days of Lord British's philosophical renaissance of the early Age of Enlightenment.

Description
This shrine in Britannia is dedicated to the virtue of Justice. It is located on a peninsula in the far north of Britannia, north of Yew and the Deep Forest. During Ultima VII a gravel lies on its altar. Those who seek wisdom at this holy site may gain a deeper understanding of the virtue of Justice, which has its roots the devotion to Truth, tempered by Love. Gaining entry to the shrine required the use of a rune at various points in its history, and the mantra "BEH" was required to fully glean the insights offered at its altar.

Age of Enlightenment
The Shrine of Justice was erected around the time of Britannia's christening, and it would figure into the spiritual quest of the Stranger in their pursuit of Avatarhood. The hero would sojourn here after proving themselves to be just towards man and beast equally, and would attain ascendance in ways of Justice after meditating on the virtue for three cycles.

Later, in the dark days of Lord Blackthorn and the Oppression, the Avatar would travel again to this sacred place, and would be directed by the powers within it to quest after the knowledge of Justice contained in the enshrined Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. In the struggle to restore Lord British to his throne, the hero would also have to guard this shrine and others and from Blackthorn's attempts to desecrate them, which he would quickly do should he gain access to their mantras. Should the Shrine of Justice be thus defiled, the Avatar could still restore it, using the word of power, "MALUM."

After the beginning of the Gargish conflict, this shrine and the other seven would all be seized by gargoyle warriors seeking to thwart the prophecy of the False Prophet. In time, however, the Avatar would liberate it from Draxinusom's troops, and could again meditate there on the mysteries of Justice. The shrine would once again draw the hero into a holy quest in which they would have to consult the Codex about its signature virtue, and with proper experience, the Avatar could draw on the shrine to gain deeper intellect and greater dexterity.

Age of Armageddon
Over the next two centuries, the Shrine of Justice would fall into disuse, as the seductive philosophies of the Fellowship eventually came to supplant widespread adherence to the Eight Virtues. By the time of the Avatar's eventual return near the time of the Astronomical Alignment, the hero would find the shrine still standing on its peninsula, although none appeared to have made the pilgrimage to it for many years.

Later, during the hero's exile on Pagan, the Guardian and his forces would corrupt the shrine. In doing so, the corresponding rune was twisted into an artifact known as a glyph. During their last journeys in Britannia, the Avatar would be able to cleanse the Shrine of Justice of such evils, using the powers of the Quill of Justice to undo the damage wrought by the Destroyer of Worlds.

Alternate Appearance

 * In Lord of Ultima, a Shrine of Justice can randomly be located in Caledonia.
 * In the cancelled Ultima Online 2 and the Technocrat War trilogy, the Shrine of Justice was to be included on the northern continent of New Britannia.

Trivia

 * The Keyring Mod for the Ultima VII utility, Exult, gives the Avatar the option to meditate at the Shrine of Justice using its corresponding rune. It will issue a quest for the hero to seek knowledge of Justice from the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, as it had in previous games.
 * In the Bob White Plot of Ultima IX it would have been here, where the Avatar would have to stop civil war from breaking out in Britannia.
 * In Ultima VI, the Shrine of Justice adds one bonus point each to Dexterity and Intelligence when advancing a character's level.