Caladin
| Caladin | |||||
 Caladin, from Ultima VII Part Two | |||||
| Species: | human | ||||
| Profession: | soldier | ||||
| Appearances | |||||
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This article is about the Ultima VII Part Two character. For the character from the SNES-port of Ultima VII, see Caladin (SNES).
Caladin is a Serpent Islander and Monitorian knight who leads the Bear Command in Ultima VII Part Two.
Description[edit]
At the time of the Avatar's landing on Serpent Isle, Caladin was the leader of one of Monitor's three major factions, heading the Command of the Bear. A direct and somewhat gruff man, Caladin had a deep-rooted belief in personal honor,[1] and in keeping with the philosophy of his Command, he favored the cultivation of physical strength as a combatant and an emphasis on defense and fortification as a political leader.[2] In addition to his duties as a Commnand leader, he was also in command of the city's pikemen[3] and was furthermore charged with training candidates for knighthood in preparation for the ordeal of the Knight's Test,[4] and at the time of the hero's arrival on the island, young Cantra would speak of how he had taken her under his wing following the death of her father.[5]
Like most of Monitor, Caladin held the city's Knight Champion, Astrid, in high regard, and was profoundly grieved when she was slain in a goblin ambush upon her patrol near Fawn Tower. The Avatar would first encounter Caladin, in fact, as he attended the funeral of Groat, one of Astrid's companions who had lived to tell of the attack before succumbing to his wounds. The event was a solemn one, and Astrid, although her body was yet to be recovered, weighed heavily on the minds of all attending. Upon making Caladin's acquaintance, Britannia's champion would learn the man was additionally perturbed by the seeming desecration of the remains of the grandfather for whom he had been named. The monument to this "Caladin the Golden Tongued" lay empty, with the urn of his ashes having been replaced by a crossbow, and this incident, should the Avatar investigate it, would prove to be connected to the teleport storm that had scattered the hero's companions upon making landfall. The crossbow was Iolo's, having been transposed with the missing urn by the magical lighting as it struck, and the Avatar would be able to return the ashes to Caladin after freeing the archer from the Monitorian jail in which he had been imprisoned following his accidental disruption of Groat's funeral service.[6]
Like many knights of the city, Caladin eventually came to believe Astrid's company had been betrayed by a human agent, and for a time, he took seriously Luther's suspicions that Krayg the provisioner was the culprit. Eventually, however, the Avatar was able to reveal the local innkeeper, Simon, was a goblin plant, and the hero thereafter managed to slay the goblin chief Pomdirgun, retrieve the city's Helm of Courage, and take Astrid's place as the city's Knight Champion. Should the Avatar have additionally managed to obtain evidence of Lord Marsten and Spektor's collusion with Pomdirgun in the course of these adventures, the hero could present it to Caladin to secure the traitors' arrest;[7] following their removal, Brendann, leader of the Wolf Command, would take on the rule of Monitor.[8]
Regardless of who led Monitor in its last days, Caladin would die when the city he had vowed so ardently to protect finally fell. His body numbered among the fallen in the aftermath of the attack orchestrated by the Bane of Wantonness while it possessed Sir Dupre, leading a horde of invading goblins and beasts against Monitor.
Lore[edit]
| “ | When I found Caladin, he was at the training field with Shazzana. Shazzana is a gruff warrior who takes her temper out on her students. I asked them if anyone had inquired about the Test recently. Caladin thought for a moment and then answered no. – from Balancing the Scales (Ultima VII Part Two)
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Services[edit]
Caladin offers the following training services:[9]
| Points | Benefit | Cost (monetari) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | +2 STR +1 Combat | 50 |
Trivia[edit]
- Caladin's out-game counterpart is Ultima VII Part Two programmer Eric Brown, who participates as Sir Caladin Ironhearth in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA),[10][11] where Richard Garriott has been known to assume the persona of Shamino Sallé Dacil in the barony of Bryn Gwlad. Brown also provides the voice of the Chaos Serpent in the game, and the heraldic device he uses in the SCA inspired the coat of arms for the city of Monitor.
- A search of Caladin's apartment at the corner of Bear Street and Pedigar Street will turn up 9 monetari.
- Should the Avatar return the ashes of Caladin's grandfather to him, he will attempt to repay the favor with a gift of monetari sufficient to afford lodging for the hero's company at an inn.[6] This amount will run to 50 monetari for every member of the party, which is perhaps somewhat overgenerous on Caladin's part, given that the nearby Sleeping Soldier only charges 5 monetari per person per night.[12]
- It is curious that Brendann, and not Caladin, appears to become Lord of Monitor following Marsten's arrest (as is indicated by the necessity of petitioning him should Iolo still be imprisoned at this point in the game).[8] According to Flicken, it should be Caladin's turn to act as Lord after Marsten's.[13]
- It is unclear what distinction there is between Harnna's description of Caladin as the "commander of the Pikemen,"[14] and Flicken’s self-described role as "Chief Pikeman."[15] It seems logical to assume, however, that if both are involved in leading the pikemen, Caladin's orders carry more weight on account of his status as the head of a Command.
References[edit]
- ↑ Caladin. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "honor".
- ↑ Caladin. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "Bears, trainer".
- ↑ Harnna. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "Caladin".
- ↑ Spektor. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "Test of Knighthood".
- ↑ Cantra. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "training".
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Caladin. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "Ashes of the Dead, I have an urn, missing urn, name".
- ↑ Caladin. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "know traitor".
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Brendann. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "Iolo".
- ↑ Hobbs, Sherri G. Ultima VII Part Two Clue Book (Ultima VII Part Two). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1993. Page 62.
- ↑ Homepage for Eric Brown. Retrieved 2012‒08‒22.
- ↑ “Sir Caladin Ironhearth”. Chivalry of Ansteorra. Retrieved 2012‒08‒22.
- ↑ Simon. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "bed".
- ↑ Flicken. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "ruler".
- ↑ Caladin. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "Caladin".
- ↑ Flicken. Paul Carr’s Ultima transcripts. Ultima VII Part Two. "duties".