Abacus
An abacus is a counting tool that may be used to perform simple arithmetic and is useful for adventurers to quickly gain an overview of their finances. Such a device makes an appearance at the opening of Ultima IV, but only in Ultima VII, Ultima VII Part Two and Ultima VIII are they usable items.
Description[edit]
An abacus consists of a wooden frame, which houses several rows of beads on wires or polls. The abacist may use these beads (which represent certain decimal or hexadecimal values) to perform computations and may therefore make a quick tally of goods and money. Using abaci in Ultima VII will calculate the sum total of gold coins carried by the party. In Ultima VII Part Two, the use of an abacus will reveal the amount of monetari, filari, guilders, gold bars, gold nuggets, gems, and jewelry the group is carrying. In Ultima VIII, an abacus may only tally obsidian chits and only when they have already been gathered into a single pile.
Lore[edit]
| “ | "Speaking of information, reminds me of something! I have a little item which might be useful to thee. ’Tis an abacus. Use it to tally up all of our gold." – from Iolo (Ultima VII)
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Trivia[edit]
- Iolo begins Ultima VII with an abacus and will offer to explain its function to the Avatar when asked.[1]
- In Ultima VII Part Two, abaci may be purchased from Bucia at the Capessi Canton Moonshade. One may also be found in the palace of Fawn some time earlier.
- In Ultima VIII, an abacus may be found in the home of Mythran the sage. However, it can only be used in a limited set of situations.
- In Ultima IV an abacus is used by the Gypsy in the character creation process.
Gallery[edit]
Iolo explains how the abacus works in Ultima VII
Using an abacus in Ultima VII Part Two
An abacus is used in the Ultima IV character creation
References[edit]
- ↑ Iolo FitzOwen. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "information".