Journey to the Underworld
The journal of Lord British’s journey to the Underworld comes with Ultima V. It is written by the scribe Remoh, and chronicles the odyssey of Lord British into the Underworld.
The Document[edit]
The journal does recount the decision to explore the Underworld and how things went gravely wrong; the expedition having underestimated the dangers. It ends with the Shadowlords approaching and abducting Lord British. Players can use this journal to retrace the steps of Lord British's expedition to find the resting place of Lord British's Amulet.
Transcription[edit]
Day 3
A shriek of pain awakens us after only a few hours of sleep. Meridin utters an oath followed by two eerie sounds, and a grisly scene is revealed. The knight Geraci is standing unsteadily, slicing her dagger at six great worms that swarm around her, rearing up to strike, while deftly evading her dagger. Her left arm is held against her chest, in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood from a gaping wound.
Lord British raises his staff and utters an incantation. A deep chill descends momentarily, then the six worms forget their prey and assault each other with unreasoned fury. Meridin magically draws out the worms' poisonous venom. We quickly bind Geraci's arm, gather our gear, and resume our journey eastward along the southern wall. Only two worms remain writhing in combat as we depart.
After the wall finally curves to the north, we take a passage out of the cavern to the northeast. The trail is rocky, and wide enough for three to walk abreast. The twins, Noin and Roin, bringing up the rear, are the first to notice the large, winged creature with matted, brown fur and sharp, unsheathed talons. When we stop to look, however, it flies off. Half an hour, later, we notice two of these creatures, but both fly off again as we turn. An hour later, three of these ugly creatures approach, flying closer than the previous forays dared, before veering off. We quicken our pace.
The passage empties into a large grassy area with a high, earthen ceiling. As we stop to rest, a deafening crescendo of screeches heralds the invasion of a dozen winged monsters. The avian terrors attack in force. Armour and skin is ripped from our backs. Our swords swing, our daggers fly, but to no avail. Only two winged monsters are wounded then finished. The remaining ten circle us furiously as Lord British shouts out words of mystic command. Four more attackers are destroyed, but many more of our party have fallen.
As I fight, I see Meridin from the corner of my eye. He crawls out of the fray and raises his arms. Before he falls, he gasps four words. A great flame breaks out between his outstretched arms and surges forward. One by one, the last of the nightmarish creatures is consumed with flame. The largest bat spirals to the ground. Its burning carcass crashes next to Meridin's corpse - a memorial fire to our great archmage.
Day 4
Today, the three of us remaining buried the valiant knights Arionis, Meridin, Geraci, Noin, and Roin, here upon the underground battlefield where they fell. Tomorrow we shall seek our way back to our own world; our disastrous quest here is finished.
| TODO | transcribe the rest |
Gallery[edit]
The journal as envisioned in a trailer for Ultima V: Lazarus
External Links[edit]
| Ultima Game Manuals | |
|---|---|
| Age of Darkness | Akalabeth (manual) ☥ Ultima I (Playbook, manual) ☥ Ultima II (manual) ☥ Ultima III (play guide, cleric guide, wizard guide) |
| Age of Enlightenment | Ultima IV (History of Britannia, Mystic Wisdom) ☥ Ultima V (Book of Lore, journal) ☥ Ultima VI (Compendium) |
| Age of Armageddon | Ultima VII (Fellowship, Isle of Fire) ☥ Ultima VII Part Two (Serpent Pillars, Silver Seed) ☥ Ultima VIII (Chronicle) ☥ Ultima IX (Spellbook, journal) |
| Underworld | Underworld (Memoirs) ☥ Underworld II (Safe Passage) |
| Worlds of Ultima | Savage Empire (Ultimate Adventures) ☥ Martian Dreams (Red Planet, Time Travel) |
| Compilations | Ultima Trilogy I (Trilogy manual) ☥ Ultima Trilogy II (The Age of Virtue) ☥ Ultima Collection (Ultima Atlas) |
| Other | Escape from Mt. Drash (Manual) ☥ Shroud of the Avatar (Adventurer's Manual) |