Fellowship

The Fellowship is a organisation in Britannia, under the secret rule of the Guardian.

Overview
The Fellowship was founded 20 years prior to Ultima VII by Batlin, Elizabeth and Abraham. On the first glance, they seem to be a harmless religious movement, trying to make the lives of the people better by giving them something to believe in and increasing their wealth. With the Triad of Inner Strength, they already have attracted many people. However, the observant critic will soon see many faults and strange things within the Fellowship, whose members see themselves as better than others. No one could imagine its true purpose.

The Fellowship is actually an instrument under the rule of the Guardian, with the higher-ups as his agents. His sinister two-fold purpose for this religious movement are these:


 * 1) Weaken Britannia and turn everything into the way he wishes it to be, gaining a greater power base with each passing day.
 * 2) Grabbing the power in Britannia when he enters it through the Black Gate, during an Astronomical Alignment.

They are also responsible for creating the Black Gate and a number of brutal murders of their enemies. So actually their motives are far more darker than it appears.

After the Guardian was stopped in Ultima VII, the Fellowship became outlawed, and their structures were destroyed. However, a number of their members, who by then still fanatically follow the Guardian, have gone into hiding, waiting for the day to strike.

The Structure of the Fellowship
The Fellowship is designed in layers:

I. The Innermost Circle
These are the people who work closest with the Guardian, and of course know all of the true goals, secrets and bloody deeds of the Fellowship. After the take-over of the Guardian they would have ruled over Britannia in his name, practically kings in the name of the Guardian.

These include:


 * Batlin: The founder of the Fellowship
 * Elizabeth: Co-founder
 * Abraham: Co-founder
 * Hook: Master assassin
 * Forskis: Helper of Hook

II. The Middle Circle
These are the higher-ups in the Fellowship that are actively helping in the dirty deeds of the Fellowship, knowing very well its true purpose. After the take-over, they would have become the executioners of the will of the Innermost Circle, most likely controlling the cities of Britannia.

These include:


 * Klog: Branch leader of Trinsic
 * Ellen: Klog's wife
 * Elynor: Branch leader of Minoc
 * Danag: Co-leader in Buccaneer's Den
 * De Snel: Master of the Library of Scars
 * Rankin: Branch leader in Moonglow
 * Ian: Director of the Meditation Retreat

III. The Clueless Higher Members
These are people like branch leaders and leaders of various projects, who believe in the philosophy of the Fellowship and have no idea of the true goals.

These include:


 * Quan: Branch leader of Terfin
 * Feridwyn: Leader of the poorhouse in Paws
 * Brita: Feridwyn's wife
 * Balayna: Treasurer of the Moonglow branch

IV. The Ignorant Masses
The congregations. Those who attend Fellowship meetings and apply the philosophy to their own lives, for good or ill. They have no idea of the inner workings of the organisation.

The Triad of Inner Strength
The Fellowship follows the Triad of Inner Strength, consisting of three rules:


 * 1) Strive For Unity
 * 2) Trust Thy Brother
 * 3) Worthiness Precedes Reward

A Quick Analysis
However, if someone looks a little further behind these words, the true meaning of them become obvious, as Alagner in Ultima VII discovered. In his notes about these three rules, he writes this:

''The first `value' is Strive For Unity. This implies that that we should all work together in harmony and towards one goal in life. However, careful examination of this tenet reveals that members of The Fellowship consider themselves an elite group, and a prejudicial one at that. They tend to believe that if one is not for them, then they are indeed against them! And if one is against them, then may fortune be with that person, for he/she may very well come to a bad end!''

''The second `value' is Trust Thy Brother. This implies that each member trusts implicitly other Fellowship members, and that each will do favors or deeds for another without question. On the other hand, this might mean that a member should do what another says REGARDLESS of the implications of the act. In other words, `do as I say and do not question it!' seems to be the underlying subtext of this tenet.''

''The third `value' is Worthiness Precedes Reward. If one does good deeds for The Fellowship, then one will be rewarded. The other side of the coin, of course, is that if one does NOT do good deeds for The Fellowship, then one will get his JUST reward! In The Fellowship, a `reward' can be either `good' or `bad'!''

This reveals the Triad of Inner Strength as extremist rules, that reflect the true purpose of the Fellowship: A tool of the Guardian to undermine Britannia's society before he would grab the power.

The Items
There are a number of items associated with the Fellowship:

The Medallion:

The Fellowship Medallion is a metal medallion worn on a chain around the neck. It is formed like a triangle and has the letters T, W and U engraved on it (standing for Trust, Worth and Unity). It is the most seen sign of the Fellowship in Britannia, every member wearing it (but some, like Tseramed, react hostile to it).

The Staff:

The Fellowship Staff has a golden TWU, like on the medallions, at its top. It is carried by branch leaders and other higher-ups. It also can be used as a weapon.

The Icon:

The Fellowship Icon, which is made of wood and looks like a triangle, is found in every Fellowship branch, and is used in the services.

Trivia

 * Aspects of the Fellowship—notably, the nature of its hierarchy—are an allusion to the new religious movement of Scientology.
 * The organization is mentioned several times in Ultima Underworld II.
 * A small group of Fellowship followers are found near Fawn in Ultima VII Part Two.