Ring (U2)

Getting the ring

The ring is an important artifact in Ultima II. Its powers are such that it could negate the force fields in Minax’s stronghold of Shadowguard, allowing its bearer to approach the enchantress.

Description

The Oracles of both Earth and other worlds prophesied to the Stranger regarding a nameless old man sitting under a tree, watching the water. Such an individual could be found in the twentieth century city of New San Antonio, although this figure would not part with the ring until the hero had received the blessings of Father Antos – a mystic living on the fabled Planet X in the company of Castle Barataria’s King Ozymandias.

Eventually, the Stranger attained the necessary means to reach this distant world, and the sanctification of Antos. Upon returning to Earth, the elder was willing to part with the ring at last, although he required a payment of five hundred pieces of gold.

Trivia

• The ring can be stolen by thieves after it is obtained.
• The book Artifacts of Darkness references Minax's Crystal Ring as being an item of note. While there is little evidence that the ring belonging to the old man has any connection to this artifact, it is theoretically possible that the Crystal Ring and the force field ring may be one and the same, given that the latter's powers only operate within Shadowguard, potentially tying it to Minax. The Crystal Ring does not appear elsewhere outside of mention in this tome, and nothing is known about it save for its rumored existence.