Ether Gem
The Ether Gem is a magical artifact capable of trapping spirits – such as daemons – within itself. It appeared in Ultima VII's expansion pack Forge of Virtue.
Description and Abilities[edit]
The Ether Gem is a small, brilliantly blue jewel. Once a spirit is bound within the gem, it becomes subject to the will of whomever holds it. Its master may partake directly of the mystical energies of whatever is bound within it, thereby replenishing his capacity to cast magical spells.[1]
History[edit]
The Ether Gem originally belonged to the magician Erethian who took the artifact with him to the submerged Isle of Fire in the course of his studies. Arcadion, a daemon bound into the mage's service, mistakenly believed that this jewel could free him from his imprisonment in a magical mirror, and grew increasingly eager to possess it – however, when the dragon Dracothraxus stole this artifact from the scholar, she turned a deaf ear to Arcadion's pleas for aid, leaving both the daemon and its master eager for her death.[2][3]
Eventually, the Avatar arrived on the island. Finding that Dracothraxus served as guardian to the isle's Test of Courage, the hero vied against the beast in combat, but found that no matter how much lethal force was brought to bear, she would not die. The dragon advised the hero that the weapon which would slay her was not yet forged, and gave the Avatar the Ether Gem as a reward for valor. The hero thereafter brought the jewel to Arcadion's mirror and shattered it, leaving the daemon trapped within the bauble's confines and subject to the Avatar's mastery.[4] Determined to best Dracothraxus, the hero turned to Erethrian, who assisted in forging a sword made of blackrock. To balance and complete this odd piece of weaponry, the Avatar bade Arcadion bind himself and the Ether Gem into the hilt of the blade, thereby imbuing the black sword with his power. Armed with such a weapon, the hero set out once more to face the dragon, and succeeded at last in slaying her.[2][5]
When Arcadion escaped the gem in Ultima VII Part Two – being in this foreign land had weakened its hold and him and the Avatar had no choice but to let him go in the end – it became damaged and had to be repaired with the Flux Analyzer before it could again catch spirits. It was later used to great effect to catch the Banes of Chaos, acting as temporary prison before putting them into Soul Prisms.
Lore[edit]
| “ | And, in fact, the castle walls are scorched in places – the aftermath of a dragon's assault upon the castle. The dragon has taken up residence here in one of the tunnels of the main cave. During her raid, she stole from me the Ether Gem, a possession of reasonable importance. As soon as I can find a way to retrieve it, her head shall be mine. – from A Guide to the Isle of Fire (Ultima VII)
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Trivia[edit]
- In Ultima VII Part Two, there are three more portraits of the Black Sword, each with a differently animated Ether Gem. Since all of these have the gem in various shades of red, it is most likely that the Avatar was meant to converse with the Banes of Chaos while they were trapped inside the gem.
- If the Avatar attempts to sell the Ether Gem containing Arcadion to Sean, he will refuse to buy it, recoiling as he claims the artifact to be "small and dark as the heart of an unholy Liche!" should the hero attempt to barter the gem before the daemon inhabits it, Sean will dismiss it as a worthless bauble.
Gallery[edit]
The Ether Gem in the hilt of the Black Sword
Unused portrait 1
Unused portrait 2
Unused portrait 3
References[edit]
- ↑ Arcadion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII: The Black Gate. "power".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dracothraxus. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII: The Black Gate. "(death), (start)".
- ↑ Demarest, Ken et al. A Guide to the Isle of Fire (Forge of Virtue). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1992.
- ↑ Erethian. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII: The Black Gate. "daemon gem, daemon mirror, ether gem, free, whining".
- ↑ Arcadion. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII: The Black Gate. "black sword".