Despise

Despise, typically a natural cave system in the Serpent's Spine mountains north of Britain, is one of the eight major dungeons of Britannia. The Stranger first explored it during the Quest of the Avatar, and would return as the Champion of Virtue several times thereafter.

Ultima IV
In Ultima IV, the Stranger found the Altar of Love and the Yellow Stone deep within the cavernous reaches of Dungeon Despise.

Ultima V
Also known as the "Maze of Lost Souls," as a sign in Runic reads at the entrance, the caves were sealed by the Great Council after the end of the Quest of the Avatar to contain the horrors within. During Ultima V, the Avatar yelled the Word of Power learned from Annon, Vilis, to open the entrance. The cave was a twisting maze of pit traps and ladders connecting to the newly-formed Underworld, near where Captain Johne and the wreck of the Ararat were found.

Ultima VI
In Ultima VI, Despise was a mine supplying much of Britannia's gold, with a series of twisting tunnels connected to large caverns.

Ultima VII
As well as its traditional location in the northernmost reaches of the Serpent's Spine mountains, the cavernous Despise came to incorporate the dungeon historically known as Shame as its western region in Ultima VII, wherein the Sphere Generator of the Guardian was located. The mage Selvyn and his band of rebels had also built a fortress atop the mountains of Despise, with stairs descending into the tunnels below.

While an assortment of spiders, gazers and trolls found their place in these caverns, Despise was also treacherous for its maze of locked doors, teleporters, false leads and dead ends. Many an adventurer had descended into the cave system never to return, having starved to death after becoming lost in its labyrinthine depths. Two missing persons, the monk Brother Wayne and the mage Garok Al-Mat, could each be found wandering disoriented within the dungeon and assisted to the outside world by the Avatar.

Ultima IX
In Ultima IX, the former cave system had been fortified into a walled dungeon. Before the Great Cataclysm, a mage by the name of Kiran chose Despise as his new abode and constructed an underground fortress, inside which he ensconced his magic shield. The treasure hunters Castro, Felix, Thadious, and the late Mourdin were found within, having undertaken a quest to find the Kiran Stones.

Trivia

 * Despise is the only dungeon in Ultima V with no dungeon rooms.
 * In early drafts of Ultima IX, Despise was comprised of both caverns and man-made tunnels. In addition to one of the Guardian's columns, contained within was one half of plans for a balloon, required in order to reach the concealed sanctuary town of Cove.
 * In Runes of Virtue, the dungeon Despise is known as the Cavern of Hatred. A young princess named Melissa can be found within its depths, and will reward the hero with a large gem.