Brion
| Brion | |||||
 Brion, from Ultima VII | |||||
| Species: | human | ||||
| Appearances | |||||
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Brion is the administrator of the Observatory in Moonglow. He appears in Ultima VII.[1]
Description[edit]
Like his twin brother, Nelson, who tended to the nearby Lycaeum, Brion was passionate about his work and was kept very busy as a result of it. The impending astronomical alignment was of particular interest to him and he proved happy to discuss the conjunction of the planets with the inquisitive hero – inviting the Avatar to make use of the orrery, which models the Britannian planetary system's movements.[2]
Having inherited Nelson's enthusiasm for collecting, Brion was also eager to show the Avatar an assortment of knick-knacks he held dear, including a model moon he had carved from green cheese; a golden sextant emblematic of his post as the Observatory head; a kite he had constructed; and an assortment of crystals with which he hoped to build a remote orrery viewer.[3] In displaying this last object, Brion was reminded that he had never completed this particular project and offered to give the hero the finished viewer should he be supplied with the necessary crystals. The Avatar found Addom selling such material.[4] Brion would also prove useful in helping the Avatar to locate and process caddellite, such that it might be used to forge helmets.[5]
Should the hero learn of Zelda's feelings for Brion through Phearcy, and then reveal this to Brion, he would receive the news dismissively.[6]
It is unknown what ultimately became of Brion or how he reacted to his brother's eventual murder within Castle Britannia, as no record of either him or the Observatory were present by the time of the Avatar's last return to the realm.
Lore[edit]
| “ | Phearcy had nothing more useful to say. However, he did offer to give me a free meal if I could tell him why Zelda brightens up when someone mentions Brion, the man in charge of the observatory. In fact, Brion is someone with whom thou shouldst speak, for his orrery is currently tracking the pattern of Britannia's alignment with other celestial bodies. – from Key to the Black Gate (Ultima VII)
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Trivia[edit]
- The portraits of both Brion and Nelson are based upon Ultima VII programmer Paul Meyer.[7]
- Brion, like Nelson, will claim that his twin is considerably more attractive and intelligent than he is – despite the fact that both of them are identical.[8]
- The crystal ball in Brion's room is attuned to show the The Baths of Buccaneer's Den.
- In the SNES-port of Ultima VII, Brion has no brother, and seems preoccupied with finding a crystal to fit his telescope (instead of one to complete his orrery). He also complains about the light pollution in Moonglow, which has lead to some of the dimmer stars being hard to spot in the Britannian night sky. Curiously, despite never mentioning the event in his dialogue, he is credited as the author of a book titled Astronomical Alignment, which discusses the planetary occurrence as a harbinger of doom.[9][10]
References[edit]
- ↑ Brion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "job".
- ↑ Brion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "people, orrery".
- ↑ Brion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "moon, sextant, kite, crystals".
- ↑ Addom. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "crystal".
- ↑ Brion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "Caddelite, helmets".
- ↑ Brion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "Zelda's feelings".
- ↑ Randolph, Bill. Ultima: The Black Gate – Characters List. July 2, 1991.
- ↑ Brion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII. "Nelson".
- ↑ Brion of Moonglow. Astronomical Alignment (SNES-port of Ultima VII – in-game).
- ↑ Brion. Ultima VII SNES transcript. Ultima VII. "crystal, Moonglow, telescope".