Vesper
| Vesper | |
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 Location of Vesper | |
| Located in: | Britannia |
| Type: | village |
 Vesper in Ultima VII | |
Vesper is a village located some distance south of the Shrine of Sacrifice and at the shores of the Great Sea.
Description[edit]
The town has been settled twice, and twice either been abandoned or destroyed. A major site of the Britannian Mining Company in its second incarnation, exploiting the Vesper mine, the town became a contentious site of gargish immigration during the early Age of Armageddon, making it a crucial avenue toward the attempted integration of the otherworldly race and a hotbed of sectarian rhetoric.
History[edit]
Age of Enlightenment[edit]
Presumably founded in the early days of Lord British's renaissance, Vesper was but a small fortified village during its first appearance in Ultima IV. Surrounded by the green and fertile eastern plains of this age, Vesper offered a safe haven for travelers, and appeared to be home to a number of refugees from the destroyed Magincia. A diverse hamlet, the town also was the single home to a branch of the Guild of Thieves outside of Buccaneer's Den, and a number of colorful characters could be found lurking amidst Vesper's dark alleyways.
In later years, the town vanished from the Britannian landscape – perhaps having been abandoned during the droughts that begat the Drylands or having been depopulated by the eventual diaspora of the Magincians. Whatever the reason, the land remained unsettled for centuries following the first Vesper's demise, with the only inhabitant of the region for many years being the gargoyle, Sin'Vraal.
Age of Armageddon[edit]
By the time of Ultima VII, however, a new Vesper had been founded, and was inhabited by both humans and gargoyles alike. Born from a community of miners employed by the Britannian Mining Company (BMC), the city's economy largely centered on the BMC's operations in the area.[1]
Owing to the BMC's penchant for hiring Gargish workers, Vesper was the only city in modern Britannia with comparable numbers of both gargoyles and humans and suffered from a significant and growing socio-economic class disparity between the two races that comprised its populace. With many inhabitants of the town subscribing to overtly racist rhetoric, the society of the settlement had become sharply segregated.
The human population, having much of the institutional power in the region, held almost all positions of political and economic power. Many of its people belonged to the separatist Britannian Purity League, and supported efforts to deport gargoyles from human civilization. With most gargoyles refused employment or working as inexpensive laborers, Vesper's Gargish citizens were often poor and disenfranchised. Several appeared to turn to anti-human interpretations of the Book of Prophecies, often implying that the affair of the False Prophet was far from settled. In this hotbed of bigotry, all sides feared an outcome of violence, and during the Avatar's travels in the region at the time, the hero had the opportunity to witness many of the injustices that such a situation fostered.
In the later years of Ultima IX, both Vesper and the Drylands were no longer present within the declining kingdom of Britannia. While what eventually caused this settlement's second end ultimately remains unknown. It is plausible that Vesper was a target during the various reforms of the Reconstruction and it may be that the village's economic dependence on the BMC proved its undoing when the company faced investigation over its labor practices. In addition to this, the geological upheavals brought on by the Imbalance and the Great Cataclysm ultimately made the land uninhabitable, much as had happened to Cove. Whatever the reason for its disbandment, no trace of the settlement existed during the Avatar's final journeys.
Ultima Online[edit]
Vesper also exists in Ultima Online as a major sea port. It has a wide variety of shops largely due to the crafts originating from Minoc, which is in close proximity. Most of the city is divided by a series of canals into a collection of sixteen islands, all interconnected by stone bridges. Due to all the stone work, Vesper has a reputation for being a beautiful city.
Lore[edit]
| “ | The Towne of Vesper, found in the northeastern part of our fair land just to the south of the inland lake, provides a welcome respite for the weary traveller. Its many inhabitants are quite congenial and well-versed in the lore of Britannia and in the ways of the seekers on the path of the Avatar. – from The Way of the Avatar (Ultima IV)
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| “ | Located on the edge of the desert in northeast Britannia, Vesper is an industrial town. Here the main branch of the Britannian Mining Company is located. Vesper is one of the few places in Britannia where humans and gargoyles live together in an approximately equal number. – from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)
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| “ | Vesper is one of Britannia's newer towns. 'Twas originally a small community of miners employed by the Britannian Mining Company. Slowly more people migrated here to offer services to the mining residents. Throughout its growth, Vesper has remained a good, stable home for hardworking miners and merchant suppliers to live. That was, until they started moving here. – from Ultima VII Clue Book (Ultima VII)
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| “ | Vesper is located on the eastern coast of Britannia, the northernmost city on said coast. Its positioning almost makes it more a part of the culture of the Feudal Lords or Magincia, as it serves as a major trade port for the north part of the sea. Vesper is a city of shallow waterways and canals. These canals are largely man-made, but are rough-hewn and seem quasi-natural. Although the climate in this region ranges from the temperate to the cold, Vesper is a city of strong stonework and wide open spaces that serve as breezeways. The stonework is all done by local artists and artisans and has earned Vesper a reputation as a beautiful city. – from UO Playguide (Ultima Online)
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Inhabitants[edit]
Ultima IV[edit]
- Balthasar: sturdy peasant
- Corkrin: bold paladin
- Dirgen: wise man
- Dyka: thief
- Flatbush: apprentice mage
- Friday: guard
- Gem: fair shepherd
- Joseph: wise shepherd
- Plain: shepherd
- Randal: teacher of the Shrines
- Servile: meek shepherd
- Shazbot: funny jester
- Simple: slender shepherd
- Traveling Dan: tinker
- Twin Gates: tall mage
- Nameless gate guard: hulking guard
Services:
- Arron: proprietor of Axe 'n Ale
- Long John Leary: proprietor of The Guild Shop
- Tymus: proprietor of The Sleep Shop
- Wendy: proprietor of Village Arms
Ultima VII[edit]
East Vesper:
- Auston: mayor of Vesper
- Blorn: troublemaker
- Cador: mine supervisor
- Catherine: a child
- Eldroth: provisioner
- Liana: secretary
- Mara: miner
- Yongi: tavernkeeper
- Yvella: mother
- Zaksam: trainer
West Vesper:
- Anmanivas: ex-miner
- Ansikart: tavernkeeper
- Aurvidlem: provisioner
- For-Lem: storyteller
- Foranamo: gargoyle
- Lap-Lem: miner
- Wis-Sur: mage
Ultima VII (SNES)[edit]
Services[edit]
Ultima IV[edit]
Ultima VII[edit]
- Gargoyle Tavern: tavern
- Gilded Lizard: tavern/inn
Places of Interest[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Vesper art from Mysterious Sosaria
References[edit]
- ↑ Morris, Andrew P. Key to the Black Gate (Ultima VII). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1992. Page 25.
| Geography |
|---|
| Pagan | |
|---|---|
| Settlements | Argentrock Isle ☥ Daemon's Crag ☥ Tenebrae |
| Other | Carthax Lake ☥ Catacombs ☥ Cemetery ☥ Fishermen's Reef ☥ Hall of the Mountain King Herdsman's Valley ☥ Plateau ☥ Shrine of the Ancient Ones ☥ Stone Cove ☥ Treasure Cove Vengeance Bay |