Skullcrusher

Skullcrusher
Location of Skullcrusher
Located in:	Serpent Isle
Type:	Ophidian city
In Skullcrusher

On the Serpent Isle, north of the Northern Forest, deep inside the mountains of the same name lies the ancient Ophidian city of Skullcrusher. It appears in Ultima VII Part Two.

Description

Skullcrusher is the ancient Ophidian city dedicated to Chaos. Unlike the surface cities, the three cities dedicated to Order, Chaos and Balance had been - for whatever reasons - built within natural cave systems. In the case of Skullcrusher, it is build into a cavern that is home to a natural lava flow, though it does not have temperatures like Furnace. The city is build in two separate layers, with the second layer being deeper underground. At its lowest point the Shrine of Chaos is located.

History

In the time of Ultima I, the dungeon was known as "Skull Smasher", and just was the usual collection of corridors filled with the deadliest monsters. After the three serpents appeared, the city of Chaos was built within the dungeon, after getting rid of the monsters. The city stood as the opposite to Spinebreaker, the city of Order. However the beginning of the War of Imbalance was marked by a massacre. After murdering the the Great Hierophant Ssithnos, Order forces blamed Chaos as a pretext and murdered the inhabitants of Skullcrusher in cold blood without warning. After the massacre, Skullcrusher fell into the darkness of history.

Many years later, the vampire Vasculio took up residence in the city, using it as his base due to the great amounts of Stoneheart found in the caverns. After he was killed by the Avatar, they opened the gate to the shrine, in order to re-create the Chaos Serpent. Leaving after the deed was done, the Avatar let the ruins of the city finally rest in peace.

Lore

“

I followed his instructions and by late evening found myself at a structure nestled in the foothills of Skullcrusher, former home of the Hierophant of Chaos. Another automaton greeted me at the door and escorted me inside. It is a good thing someone met me, for I observed the door was normally locked with a complicated puzzle device. As I followed the automaton into the cavern, I had the distinct feeling that from every corner eyes followed me. – from Balancing the Scales (Ultima VII Part Two)

Inhabitants

• Vasculio: dark vampire mage

Various ghosts that tell the story of Skullcrusher:

• Amnesic ghost: restless spirit
• Library ghost: former library worker
• Mess hall ghost: restless spirit
• Sansalys: former librarian
• Sesyntho: former scribe of the Chaos Hierophant
• Soldier ghost: former Chaos soldier

Places of Interest

• Shrine of Chaos

Trivia

• There are big locked doors to the east. There's no key that can open them, but you can get through with the HackMover or the teleport cheat. There is not much to see here, though - a few mostly empty rooms and a set of stairs that lead to the middle of what appears to be ocean. It's possible developers intended to add something to this area, but it was left unfinished due to the rushed schedule. For more on this, see Cut Material in Serpent Isle.
• There really isn't much left of the city, since the forces of Order did a good job at destroying it.

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Geography