Nicodemus
This article is about a character appearing in Ultima VI and Ultima VII. For Nico in Ultima IX, see Nico.
| Nicodemus | |||||||||||||||||||
 Nicodemus, from Ultima VII | |||||||||||||||||||
| Species: | human | ||||||||||||||||||
| Profession: | mage | ||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Nicodemus is an enchanter living near Yew during both Ultima VI and Ultima VII. One of the more colorful victims of the madness caused by the distortion of the ethereal waves in later years, he would become crucial to the Avatar's quest regarding the Black Gate, as he held the key to breaching the defenses of the Guardian's Sphere Generator.
Description[edit]
Age of Enlightenment[edit]
The Avatar could first meet Nicodemus during the Gargoyle War, when the reclusive magician could be found in his magically locked house, conducting a variety of secretive experiments. Like many wizards of the age, the enchanter was willing to trade in spells and reagents, although he cautioned the Avatar not to nose too deeply into his studies.[1] During this era, one of his students, Thariand had risen to the post of librarian within the Lycaeum, and would explain, if asked, that those receiving Nicodemus' tutelage wore a mark of a blue star to signify their education.[2]
Age of Armageddon[edit]
Over the next two-hundred years, Nicodemus' once keen mind fell prey to the ravages of the disrupted ether, and the powerful enchanter who once held counsel with the Lord of Time was reduced to a gibbering madman, rhyming nonsensically and speaking to unseen newts. While he was still able to sell spells and reagents in this altered state, the mage remained dangerously at odds with reality until such a time that the destruction of the Tetrahedron Generator freed him from his madness.[3]
After consulting the Time Lord through the aid of the wisps, the Avatar was instructed to seek the magician's aid, needing Nicodemus to magically enchant an hourglass that the hero might disable the barriers protecting the Sphere Generator. This, of course, could only be accomplished once the ethereal waves were restored to their natural state, and attempting to coax the enchanter into helping before his insanity was cured could prove an exercise in frustration. Eventually, however, the hero was able to convince Nicodemus to perform the necessary incantation, and the hero was able to continue in the quest to thwart the Guardian's invasion.[4]
Lore[edit]
| “ | Nicodemus, in Yew, is known for his love of research. Thus, there is no predictable pattern in the spells he knows, except that they demonstrate a thirst for knowledge precluding any organization. – from Key to the Black Gate (Ultima VII)
|
|---|
Goods[edit]
- Nicodemus' prices in Ultima VI can be found at Ultima VI magic shops.
- Nicodemus' prices in Ultima VII can be found at Ultima VII magic shops.
Prices for potions in Ultima VII were as follows:
| Goods | Cost (gp) | |
|---|---|---|
|
Invisibility | 75 |
Trivia[edit]
- The blue star worn by Nicodemus and Thariand in Ultima VI is a reference to fantasy author Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Lythande anthology, in which the foreheads of mages are tattooed with a blue pentagram.
- Nicodemus is the author of a number of magical books in Ultima VII, including Knight's Bridge in a Nutshell, Pathways of Planar Travel, Ritual Magic, and Enchanting Items for Household Use. The last of these appears to serve in some ways as a chronicle of his descent into madness, as the tome offers increasingly erratic and strange examples in later chapters, such as the "Giant Obsidian Flyswatter," "Exploding Corncob Holder" and "Comb of Many Blades."[5][6][7][8]
- Nicodemus appears to have formed a friendship with the Time Lord at some point between Ultima VI and Ultima VII, and reports (when sane) that the two of them regularly meet to play Knight's Bridge, a type of elaborate board game played with life size figurines.[4]
- Nicodemus was to have played a prominent role in early drafts of Ultima IX under Bob White's tenure as lead designer, with the elderly mage secluding the sanctuary town of Cove from the Guardian's reach behind an illusory, mountainous barrier. In addition to his capacity as Cove's protector for this version of events, Nicodemus would have led an initiative to recruit and train a force of mages as part of the effort to overcome the red conqueror's Gargish armies, as well as provided valuable counsel in deducing the nature of the Glyphs of Corruption.[9] In light of this former role, along with references found in the game's data files and clue book,[10] the mage Nico found in the final release appears to be a vestige of the earlier character.
Gallery[edit]
Knight's Bridge in a Nutshell, written by Nicodemus
Ritual Magic, written by Nicodemus
References[edit]
- ↑ Nicodemus. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VI transcript. Ultima VI. "experiments, interested, job".
- ↑ Thariand. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VI transcript. Ultima VI. "blue, Nicodemus, star".
- ↑ Nicodemus. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "job, name, Time Lord".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nicodemus. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "enchant, hourglass".
- ↑ Nicodemus. Knight's Bridge in a Nutshell (Ultima VII – in-game).
- ↑ Nicodemus. Pathways of Planar Travel (Ultima VII – in-game).
- ↑ Nicodemus. Ritual Magic (Ultima VII – in-game).
- ↑ Nicodemus. Enchanting Items for Household Use (Ultima VII – in-game).
- ↑ White, Robert. Ultima IX: Ascension – Plot Treatment. July 17, 1997.
- ↑ McCubbin, Chris et al. Prima's Official Guide to Ultima IX: Ascension. Electronic Arts, Inc.: 1999. Page 27.