Balema
Balema is the world in which The Quest and Ring Quest are set. It is home to Gorn, a warrior who would travel to the realm of Britannia through a moongate and there join in the adventures of the legendary Avatar.
Description[edit]
Balema is a wild and harsh realm, which Gorn describes as place which makes young boys into heroic men, where most of humanity pays homage to Brohm, a god who loves great deeds and personal strength. The land's terrain varies greatly, and it houses desert, plains, forests, swampland – all within a short distance of one another. Its sky appears to vary from blue to violet in the daylight, and three unnamed moons circle its heavens.[1]
Balema's fauna includes many of the same creatures native to Britannia, such as dragons, trolls, giant spiders, man-eating sharks and venomous snakes. In addition to these, several exotic monsters such as manticorae, sphinxes, rocs, fire serpents and werewolves also make their home there. Evidence also exists that a race of lizardmen previously held power as the civilized in the region, as their kind still haunts the ruins of empires long past.
During Gorn's quests in the realm, Balema was ruled over by the good King Galt, although a nearby warlord known as the "Red Dragoon" had been inciting conflict in nearby territories and a dragon was laying waste to his western lands. Sometime after Gorn and an unnamed adviser were able to persuade the dragon to leave, however, the sorceress, Lisa, came under the influence of the black Ring of Chaos and began to turn her magicks against the land.
Curiously, Gorn and his people came to be assisted by a traveler from Earth on a quest against Lisa – not unlike the Stranger of ancient Sosaria. This mysterious otherworlder bore the ring of Order, and with it was able to free the enchantress from the spells that bound her. The traveller returned home shortly after this victory, quite possibly through similar dimensional gateways that would eventually lead Gorn to Britannia.
Trivia[edit]
- Balema's god, Brohm, may be derived from Crom, a similar deity which features in Robert E. Howard's Conan series. Crom, in turn, is based upon the ancient Celtic deity Crom Cruach.
References[edit]
- ↑ Alpert, Dave et al. Ring Quest (Ring Quest). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1986. Pages 10, 15-16.
| 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 |