Ranger (creature)
This article is about an enemy in Ultima I. For other uses, see Ranger (disambiguation).
| Evil ranger | |
|---|---|
 An evil ranger, from the Ultima I manual | |
| Only appearance: | Ultima I |
Along with many knights and peasants in the realms of ancient Sosaria, numerous rangers within these archaic lands succumbed to the evil spell of Mondain, turning their backs on common society to haunt the forests as bandits and marauders.
Description[edit]
These evil rangers, once honest woodsman charged with watching the forested territories of the age's nobility, could be found roaming both the countryside and dungeons of Sosaria during the time of Ultima I – looking for lone travelers and explorers upon which to prey. Skilled in tracking and woodcraft, these ill-intentioned huntsmen could pursue intended quarries relentlessly through all manner of terrain, making it difficult to escape them without coming to blows.
Although the eventual death of the wizard did not guarantee the virtue of rangers in the ages which followed, such wicked foresters became a less frequent sight after Mondain's final end.
Lore[edit]
| “ | Alas! Even the noble Ranger, preserver of the woodlands and keeper of the forests, hath fallen under the sway of dark Mondain! These matchless trailblazers long watched over the preserves of the Sosarian nobility, but as Mondain’s treachery took hold, many of them forsook their old ways and became predators themselves. He who is pursued by a Ranger must turn and make a stand, for once on a trail a Ranger will never give it up. – from The First Age of Darkness (Ultima I)
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Trivia[edit]
- A solitary evil ranger may technically be encountered in Ultima IV in the form of one of eight evil dopplegangers of the Stranger's party which are encountered in the Stygian Abyss. In this setting, the ranger is presumably either a malevolent version of the companion Shamino Sallé Dacil or a wicked replica of the hero destined to become the Avatar (presuming such a figure was a ranger at the time).
- In the Ultima IX documentation, the evil ranger illustration seen in the Ultima I manual was reused as a picture of a "rogue."
Gallery[edit]
The "evil companions" of Ultima IV
