Sosaria

Sosaria is the name of a world that existed since time immemorial. As upheavals changed the land, the Sosarian Lands of Lord British became known as Sosaria alone. Further upheavals since Ultima III lead to the name falling into disuse, and the remnant of Sosaria occupied by Lord British was renamed Britannia.

History

See also: History of Britannia

A map of Sosaria Ultima III

Before the realm of Britannia, the lands it encompassed were part of a greater set of lands known as Sosaria; a world consisting of four continents: the Lands of Lord British, the Lands of the Dark Unknown, the Lands of the Feudal Lords, and the Lands of Danger and Despair (which later became known as the Serpent Isle).

The First Age of Darkness

At some point in Sosarian history, a king known as Wolfgang was slain by Mondain, his second-born son. Mondain desired his brother's birthright and the powers of his father's magical Sun Ruby Gem, which had been promised him when he came of age. Using the gem's magic over the sun against itself, Mondain transformed the stone into the black Gem of Immortality, granting himself freedom from death and power over the minions of darkness.

Mondain's legacy had reverberations for over a thousand years. The undying wizard set the rulers of the land at odds with one another, and civil strife reigned in the eight kingdoms of the land while monsters of his devising roamed free upon the countryside. Mondain's alliances even extended to other worlds, putting the natives of Sosaria in contact with "starwalkers," alien creatures who assisted the sorcerer from the depths of space. It may be these starwalking creatures who were responsible for the influx of high technology into this age of Sosaria, as devices such as lasers and aircars were available at many locations during this era.

In Ultima I, an idealistic young king known as Lord British, envisioning a unified country, called out for a champion to put an end to Mondain. The Stranger appeared in response to this summons. The hero, after weathering numerous quests, eventually managed to travel back in time to the millennium before when Mondain first altered the ruby. The Stranger shattered the gem and slew Mondain, undoing the wizard's works.

After Mondain's defeat, however, Sosaria changed radically. For reasons unknown, the Lands of Danger and Despair, the Lands of the Dark Unknown and the Lands of the Feudal Lords disappeared from the landscape, wrenched from the world as though they never existed. While it was later found that the Lands of Danger and Despair could be accessed through the Serpent Pillars, the fate of the other two continents was unknown. The remaining continent, the Lands of Lord British, was still known as Sosaria.

The Second Age of Darkness

While Minax, Mondain's apprentice and lover, later sought vengeance for her paramour's death, most of what is known of her actions transpired on the Stranger's home world of Earth. She is still regarded historically, however, as a key figure in the Sosarian Age of Darkness, and folklore often speaks of her deeds as though they affected Sosaria.

The Third Age of Darkness and the Age of the Avatar

Lord British united what remained of Sosaria. In Ultima III she came under attack by the hellspawn Exodus, a daemonic machine-creature crafted by Mondain and Minax. Once more the Stranger was summoned by Lord British to deal with the threat to the realm. Following the defeat of Exodus, British introduced his system of Virtues to the Sosarian people, bringing in a Renaissance of learning and arts which culminated in the eventual Quest of the Avatar. At the festival which was held to commemorate the felling of Exodus, the land was rechristened as "Britannia."

Some, however, objecting to the moral imperialism they saw in British's new Virtues, left the continent, eventually coming to settle in what was once the Lands of Danger and Despair, which for a time was known as "New Sosaria" before the name "Serpent Isle" was given to it, owing to the numerous strange ruins the colonists found there.

Locations

Sosaria before being sundered apart

Detailed view of Sosaria, Ultima III

Continents

• The Lands of Danger and Despair
• The Lands of the Dark Unknown
• The Lands of the Feudal Lords
• The Lands of Lord British

Cities (Ultima III)

• Britain
• Dawn
• Death Gulch
• Devil Guard
• Grey
• Montor East and West
• Moon
• Old Fawn
• Yew

Dungeons (Ultima III)

• Dardin's Pit
• Dungeon of Doom
• Dungeon of Fire
• Dungeon of the Snake
• Dungeon of Time
• Mines of Morinia
• Perinian Depths

Lore

“

Hail, Noble One! Our land is in need of a stalwart hero, one who will brave perils horrific to consider. A plague has befallen the Realm, a scourge is upon the land! Our villages lie sacked, ruinous mounds of ashes where once trod peasants stout of heart and sound of mind, where once lay fields of grain and fruit, where kine and fowl grew fat upon the bounties of our fair Sosaria. All manner of wicked and vile creatures prey upon our people and ravage the land. 'Tis the doing of one so evil that the very earth trembles at the mention of his name. – from The First Age of Darkness (Ultima I)

“

With the fall of Mondain and Minax, peace had flowed like molten honey around all of Sosaria. Everywhere, Lord British's subjects were happy and prosperous. A great cancer had been exorcised from the world body. The People were cleansed again, and there was much rejoining in the towns. Even the Orcs had disappeared from sight after the fall of Minax's castle, as chronicled in Ultima II. Twenty years the peace lasted. Twenty years is also the time needed for an infant to become a person. – from The Book of Play (Ultima III)

“	The Dark Ages of Britannia is the name given to that long span of time when the infamous Triad Of Evil stalked the lands and challenged all for the supremacy of the soul. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)

“

Long before the ascendance to power of Lord British, Sosaria, as it was then known, was made up of numerous citystates. The eight largest and most enduring of these are today the eight leading townes in Britannia. Each citystate had its own ruler and some semblance of laws. However, there was constant bickering for power and resources, which meant that the smaller states often fell prey to the aggressions of the larger. – from The Book of Lore (Ultima V)

“

At the time of my arrival here, this place was known as Sosaria, a region comprised of numerous warring city-states and feudal fiefdoms. It was not long before my affinity for order, peace and prosperity had earned me the title of Lord British, ruler over the city-state of Britain, and ultimately Lord of Britannia. Under my guidance the land and its people have prospered and grown, though not without challenges from the forces of Evil. – from Compendium (Ultima VI)

“	Long ago, before the formation of the kingdom of Britannia, the land was known as Sosaria. It was little more than a multitude of warring city-states and feudal fiefdoms, and the people of the land suffered for it. It was wise Lord British, then ruler of the city-state of Britain, who eventually brought the land and the people of Sosaria together. – from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)

“

The earliest recorded histories take place during a period known as the Age of Darkness. At this time, the land as a whole was known as Sosaria, and Lord British ruled a smaller nation called Britain. This was a chaotic and difficult period to live in — rival states were constantly at war with one another, and bandits and monsters roamed freely over the countryside, preying on those weaker than they. – from A Safe Passage Through Britannia (Ultima Underworld II)

“

For reasons still unknown, the destruction of Mondain caused great upheaval. As much as three-fourths of Sosaria simply disappeared, wrenched from the world as if it had never existed. Among the missing lands were Shamino's kingdom (the Lands of Danger and Despair), the Lands of the Dark Unknown and the Lands of the Feudal Lords. It is interesting to note that only the realm of Lord British remained. – from Beyond the Serpent Pillars (Ultima VII Part Two)

Trivia

• In early alpha testing for Ultima Online, it appears that the original Sosaria continents were to eventually be added to the familiar-but-slightly-different Britannia on release. The image in the gallery, as well as an image by Raph Koster (care of Cory Doctorow's Flickr account, also in the gallery), show the Lands of Lord British replaced by Britannia, but with the other three continents intact. To the right of Britannia is the Lands of the Feudal Lords, below them are the Lands of the Dark Unknown (rotated 30º left), and at the bottom right are the Lands of Danger and Despair (rotated 180º). These lands were never added to Ultima Online, but could give a clue as to how the developers felt the continents best fit together on the globe of Sosaria.

Gallery

• 

  A conceptual map of Sosaria for Ultima Online

• 

  Ralph Koster's sketch

See Also

• Ultima III map of Sosaria
• Ultima III locations map

References

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Sosaria

Lands of Lord British (or "Sosaria" in Ultima III)
Cities	Britain ☥ Dawn ☥ Death Gulch ☥ Devil Guard ☥ Grey ☥ Montor Moon ☥ Fawn ☥ Paws ☥ Tune ☥ Yew
Castles	Castle of Lord British ☥ Castle of the Lost King
Landmarks	The Pillars of Protection ☥ The Tower of Knowledge
Dungeons (Ultima I)	Death's Awakening ☥ The Dungeon of Doubt ☥ The Dungeon of Montor ☥ The Dungeon of Perinia The Lost Caverns ☥ The Mines of Mt. Drash ☥ The Mines of Mt. Drash II ☥ Mondain's Gate to Hell ☥ The Unholy Hole
Dungeons (Ultima III)	Dardin's Pit ☥ Dungeon of Doom ☥ Dungeon of Fire ☥ Dungeon of the Snake ☥ Dungeon of Time ☥ Mines of Morinia Perinian Depths
Islands and Other Sites	Ambrosia ☥ Ambrosian Shrines ☥ Isle of Fire ☥ Mt. Drash

Lands of Danger and Despair
Cities	The Brother ☥ Bulldozer ☥ Dextron ☥ Gorlab ☥ Lost Friends ☥ Magic ☥ Turtle ☥ Wheeler
Castles	Castle of the White Dragon ☥ Shamino's Castle
Landmarks	Grave of the Lost Soul ☥ The Eastern Sign Post
Dungeons	The Dead Cat's Life ☥ The Dead Cat's Life II ☥ Dead Man's Walk ☥ The Dungeon of Doom ☥ Free Death Hole The Hole to Hades ☥ The Morbid Adventure ☥ The Skull Smasher ☥ The Spine Breaker

Lands of the Feudal Lords
Cities	Arnold ☥ Gerry ☥ Helen ☥ John ☥ Linda ☥ Owen ☥ The Snake ☥ Wolf
Castles	Castle Rondorin ☥ Castle Barataria
Landmarks	The Pillars of the Argonauts ☥ The Pillar of Ozymandias
Dungeons	Advari's Hole ☥ The Dead Warrior's Fight ☥ The Gorgon's Hole ☥ The Horror of the Harpies The Horror of the Harpies II ☥ The Labyrinth ☥ The Savage Place ☥ Scorpion Hole ☥ Where Hercules Died

Lands of the Dark Unknown
Cities	Clear Lagoon ☥ Gauntlet☥ Imagination ☥ Nassau ☥ Ponder ☥ Poor ☥ Stout ☥ Wealth
Castles	Black Dragon's Castle ☥ Castle of Olympus
Landmarks	The Sign Post ☥ The Southern Sign Post
Dungeons	The End ☥ The Guild of Death ☥ The Long Death ☥ The Metal Twister ☥ The Slow Death ☥ The Tramp of Doom The Troll's Hole ☥ The Viper's Pit ☥ The Viper's Pit II

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Worlds in the Ultima Series
Main Worlds	Britannia ☥ Sosaria ☥ Serpent Isle ☥ Pagan ☥ Earth ☥ Eodon ☥ Mars
Worlds of the Blackrock Jewel	Tarna ☥ Killorn Keep ☥ Anodunos ☥ Talorus ☥ Scintillus Academy ☥ Pits of Carnage ☥ Rhiannon ☥ Ethereal Void
Ahistorical Solar System	Sun ☥ Mercury ☥ Venus ☥ Earth ☥ Mars ☥ Jupiter ☥ Saturn ☥ Uranus ☥ Neptune ☥ Pluto ☥ Planet X
Other Worlds	Nexus of the Worlds ☥ Caledonia ☥ Balema ☥ Ashtalarea ☥ Alucinor