Bell of Courage
The Bell of Courage is an artifact that symbolizes the Principle of Courage. First appearing in Ultima IV, it features in the series as a component of certain ritual magics, serving as a crucial component in the initial unsealing of the Stygian Abyss.
History[edit]
Age of Enlightenment[edit]
The Bell first appeared during the Stranger's quest toward Avatarhood, lying in the depths of the sea in an oceanic well between Buccaneer's Den and the Isle of Deeds, where centuries later the isle of Spektran would arise. After having most likely learned of its location through the advice of Sister Antos and the fighter, Garam, the aspirant hero retrieved the Bell, and thereafter used it in conjunction with the Candle of Love and the Book of Truth to open the mouth of the Abyss.[1][2]
Age of Armageddon[edit]
It is not known what came of the Bell after the Stranger took on the mantle of Avatarhood, although the relic later was stored at of Serpent's Hold. When the Great Cataclysm struck the isle which held the keep of Courage, a group of protectors stayed within the castle as it sunk beneath the waves, guarding the Bell against evil. By the time of Ultima IX, but one of this group remained, the rest having fled in the wake of an attack by the arch-mage Groldek. This lone warrior, Lyssa, eventually bequeathed the Bell to the Avatar after the hero slew the evil magician.[3]
Using the Bell, Book and Candle once more, the Avatar was later able to enact the ritual of Reunite Body and Soul to rejoin the physical and spiritual bodies of Shamino, whose metaphysical selves had become separated in the course of a quest into the Ethereal Void. [4]
Trivia[edit]
- The Book, Bell and Candle are traditional symbolic devices used in the ceremony to seal an excommunication in the medieval Roman Catholic Church. After condemning an excommunicant, a bell would be rung as a symbolic death toll; a book would be closed to signify separation from the church; and a candle would be snuffed to represent the extinguishing of the condemned individual's soul.[5]
- In Ultima IV, retrieving the Bell grants (only) the player's character 400 XP.
- A modification by Marzo Sette Torres Jr. for the Exult utility for Ultima VII places the Bell of Courage in Serpent's Hold.
Gallery[edit]
The bell in Ultima IX
References[edit]
- ↑ Sister Antos. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima IV transcript. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar. "bell".
- ↑ Garam. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima IV transcript. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar. "bell".
- ↑ Lyssa. Quill Dragon’s Ultima IX transcript. Ultima IX: Ascension.
- ↑ Shamino’s journal (Ultima IX: Ascension – in-game).
- ↑ “Bell, book, and candle”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2011-04-15.