Castle of the White Dragon

The Castle of the White Dragon (or the White Dragon's Castle) is one of eight keeps which house the rulers of the feuding states of old Sosaria during the events of Ultima I. It is located within the Lands of Danger and Despair. Later it became infamous for the tragic slaughter that its ruler instigated following a fit of madness, and has long stood in the landscape of the northern Serpent Isle as a place with a reputation for hauntings.

Age of Darkness
The Castle of the White Dragon was home to the King of the White Dragon, who ruled in tandem over the realm with Shamino Salle' Dacil, a former woodsman who had won the affections and hand in marriage of the King of the White Dragon's daughter, Beatrix.

During the Stranger's quest to defeat Mondain, the hero could consult with the lord of this keep, who would offer the adventurer a boon of strength should they quest for knowledge of the Tower of Knowledge. During this era, the imprisoned Princess Lori could be found within the environs of the castle, and the Stranger had the option of securing her rescue - although such an undertaking brought down the ire of guards and court upon the hero.

After the death of Mondain, the Lands of Danger and Despair became separate from the other major continents of Sosaria, forming into a world in its own right which would later come to be known as the Serpent Isle. Shamino, who had previously been abroad in the Lands of Lord British likely found the journey home an impossible undertaking in light of such cataclysmic events, and Beatrix, thinking her betrothed had abandoned her, fell sick and died of heart break.

The King of the White Dragon, insane with grief for his lost daughter and rage at Shamino, became a the instigator of unspeakable crimes. Paranoid regarding the incursions of the goblin hoardes, the ruler sought to "save" his people by taking them into the realm of death. In his final days, he invited the whole of his kingdom to join with him in a celebration of the Solstice Festival. Once the guests were inside the keep, they were slaughtered to the last man. The king, satisfied with his grim work, flung himself from the castle's towere thereafter.



Age of Armageddon
Centuries later, during the events of Ultima VII Part Two, the Avatar came to the ruined castle, seeking their bane-possessed companions who had taken refuge in the ill-omened keep. The ghost of the king manifested, offering to bring the hero to salvation in the realm of the dead and transforming into the beast of his namesake. It is likely that the Avatar slew him in this form, although it is not known if such an act was capable of bringing the spirit to peace.

Eventually, the hero navigated a gauntlet of traps set by the banes and recaptured the chaotic spirits within the blade of the Black Sword after a fierce battle.

Trivia

 * While many of the tomes within the Castle provide fascinating insight as to the King of the White Dragon's descent into madness, some few books bear an unpleasant surprise for unwary readers.