Blue tassles

Blue tassles are an important item in Ultima II, and are necessary to obtain passage on ships within the game.

Description

The exact significance of the "tassles" to the sailors of the temporally shifted Earth is not known, although several barkeeps could impart that tassles were part of a "saylor's" uniform. During this era, it was impossible for the Stranger to travel by sea without having at least one set of tassles. The tassles could only be obtained from frisking the remains of human enemies, and could be easily lost to marauding thieves. Should the hero try to return to a ship without tassles, the crew would be uncooperative, and the ship unusable.

Lore

“	When a frigate docks near you, you can commandeer it—if the crew will accept you as a seasoned sailor. Otherwise, they'll turn the broadsides on you. – from The Second Age of Darkness (Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress)

Trivia

• In the FM Towns-port of Ultima II, a set of blue tassles disappears from the Stranger's inventory every time a boat is boarded, making strategic use of the time doors a more prominent part of gameplay.
• In Ultima IX a set of blue tassles is on display at the museum in Britain.
• Possibility a misspelling, "tassles" is not consistent with the out-game spelling "tassels".