Cup of Wonder
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The Cup of Wonder is one of the eight talismans of Sir Cabirus, representing the virtue of Spirituality. It appears in Ultima Underworld.
Description[edit]
Carved from the heartwood of an ancient oak by a craftsman from Skara Brae, it is a strong symbol of virtue.
It was found in Ultima Underworld after a longer quest, since unlike the other talismans, no one had been able to discover the Cup of Wonder. A few of the inhabitants had heard of its existance, but none offered direct information about where is was currently or who might be holding it. Only after seeing visions of it in dreams did the Avatar begin the quest to acquire it.
The cup was lost in the volcanic erruption during the final events of Ultima Underworld and was not seen again in the Ultima universe.
It cast into the volcanic lava at the bottom of the Great Stygian Abyss as part of a ritual in order to banish the Slasher of Veils.
Lore[edit]
“ This object was carved from the heartwood of an ancient oak by one of the finest craftsmen of Skara Brae.
Visions of the Cup[edit]
The Cup of Wonder at dawn (UW1)
The Cup of Wonder at noon (UW1)
The Cup of Wonder at night (UW1)
The Cup of Wonder at dawn (PSX)
The Cup of Wonder at noon (PSX)
The Cup of Wonder at night (PSX)
Quest for the Cup[edit]
The Avatar learns of the cup through Dorna Ironfist when asking about the talismans:
| “ | They numbered eight, and Cabirus did intend them to go each to one of the Leaders of the eight groups who settled the Abyss. Alas, he perished, and all eight were lost.
'Tis said they were a Book, bottle of Wine, a Shield, a Sword, a Taper, a Standard, a Cup, and a Ring. Each was imbued with the potent power of a single Virtue, and 'tis said they confer Virtue both in the seeking and the finding. – from Dorna Ironfist (Ultima Underworld)
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The Avatar had three separate visions of the cup, one at dawn, one at noon, and one at night. In these visions the cup had some etchings on it, different in each vision. The etchings were "in", "sa", and "hn".
Speaking with the mage Louvnon the Avatar learned that not all mantras used at shrines would increase skills but some could produce objects or dispense information. She said that there is a mantra which will direct one to a powerful object and that the mantra has been divided into three parts, which must be reassembled to produce the original word.
Considering these visions in chronological order, the Avatar realized that their etchings combined to form a word, "insahn".
Using the mantra at the various shirnes throughout the abyss, the Avatar was given directions to find the cup relative to the shrine's location. Sometimes the shrine would tell the Avatar that the cup was above, meaning a higher level in the abyss. Sometimes the Avatar was told that the cup was below, meaning a lower level in the abyss. Sometimes the Avatar was told a compass direction, meaning that the cup was on that same level.
Using this information gleaned from the shrines the Avatar was led to a spot on the third level, unofficially known as the Cave of Wonder.
In the cave lived a hositle gazer for the Avatar to deal with, but the Cup of Wonder was nowhere to be found.
Speaking to the ghoul Eyesnack the Avatar learned of a song called Mardin's Song of Wonder that when played in the right place a wondrous thing would happen, but that no one knows the place. The Avatar brought a flute to Eyesnack to learn this song, and then searched for a wonderous place to play it.
Bringing a flute to the Cave of Wonder and playing Mardin's Song of Wonder with it caused the Cup of Wonder to appear.
The Avatar took possession of it and added it to the collection.
Once the Avatar had the shiny cup, he could bring it to Dominus for a proper identification:
| “ | Ah, that is the Cup of Wonder. 'Twas fashioned by Sir Cabirus himself, as one of his Talismans. Beautiful, is it not? – from Dominus (Ultima Underworld)
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Trivia[edit]
The cup is said to be carved of wood and the in-game icon reflects that but the cup seen in the visions seems to be made of gold and jewels. It's possible this was influenced by the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade which came out just two years before Ultima Underworld did. In that movie the characters were searching for a special cup they believed to be fancy and elaborate, but it turned out to be a very simple humble wooden cup. The game features a number of golden goblets that resemble the cup in the visions, perhaps these were meant to be red herrings on the quest for the cup.
| Talismans of Sir Cabirus | |
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| Book of Honesty ☥ Wine of Compassion ☥ Shield of Valor ☥ Caliburn ☥ Taper of Sacrifice ☥ Standard of Honor ☥ Cup of Wonder ☥ Ring of Humility | |