Lady Tory

Lady Tory
Lady Tory, from Ultima Underworld II
Species:	human
Appearances
Ultima Underworld II Location: Castle Britannia Ultima VII Lady Tory, from Ultima VII Location: Serpent's Hold

Lady Tory is a druid in possession of empathic powers who serves as Serpent's Hold's counselor in Ultima VII, and numbers among the trapped revelers imprisoned within Castle Britannia by the Guardian in Ultima Underworld II. In Ultima VII she has a baby although she had been separated from him, when he was kidnapped by harpies. Only with the Avatar’s help could they be reunited.

Description

The Avatar could first meet Lady Tory during the course of the adventures regarding the Black Gate, where would be found the gentle woman bereft over the loss of her infant son, Riky, who had been kidnapped by a wail of harpies near the Shrine of Honor. The hero could travel to the isle of the shrine and after slaying the harpies, would find the child, still alive, in the confines of their nest. Riky could then be returned to his mother, who was gladdened and relieved at his safe return.

Blessed with a natural ability to sense the feelings of others, Lady Tory could be quite helpful in providing information about the residents of the Keep of Courage, and should the hero being inquiring as to the matter of a defaced statue in the castle's commons, Tory would be able to direct the Avatar to Sir Jordan, who had been notably more nervous since the night of the incident. Such information would eventually assist the hero greatly in determining the culprit behind the vandalism.

Nearly a year later, after the Avatar's first victory against the Guardian and the eventual disbandment of the Fellowship which followed, Lady Tory came to Britain to partake in a celebration of the efforts which had been launched to reform Britannia. She was trapped, along with the other party-goers in Castle Britannia, in a great blackrock dome fashioned by the Red Titan, and found herself often working to comfort her frightened comrades as paranoia and fear began to overtake them in their confinement.

Tragically, Tory's gift of psychic empathy eventually marked her as a target. She was brutally murdered by Patterson, fearful that her insights would lead her to discover that he had been working as the Guardian's catspaw. Her death shocked her fellow prisoners greatly, leading many to falsely accuse the aloof and ill-tempered Feridwyn as her killer. Eventually, however, Patterson was outed as a traitor and slain, following the killing of the scholar, Nelson.

Lore

“

The one person to truly suffer from Richter’s preoccupation with The Fellowship is the beautiful Lady Tory. Though none of us have been able to confirm anything, there does seem to be a spark of fire between the two. Of course, only her powers of emotional intuition could secure such information without asking any questions, and none of the rest of us possess them. However, they seem an even greater boon to her now that she has a son to raise. ... I went to visit with Lady Tory to see if I couldst learn anything from her empathic abilities. Though I learned nothing useful, I was struck with the realization that her son was the only one that had been born to Serpent’s Hold in many years. The boy is very dear. I do hope they take due effort to protect him from the hordes of harpies that inhabit the nearby islands, for those foul beasts love nothing more than the raw flesh of a young child. – from Key to the Black Gate (Ultima VII)

“	Lady Tory is a person of remarkable empathic ability. A resident of Serpent’s Hold, she is frequently sought out for advice on personal matters. – from A Safe Passage Through Britannia (Ultima Underworld II)

Trivia

• Like many characters in Serpent's Hold, Lady Tory is based on a character from the popular television show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. she resembles Commander Deanna Troi, a half-betazoid psychic empath who acts as the enterprise's counselor. Although she does not mention it in her dialogue, John-Paul hints in the Key to the Black Gate that she is involved in a relationship with Sir Richter – mirroring Counselor Troi's ongoing romance with William Riker. Her son, Riky, however, does not appear to have any Star Trek equivalent, as he bears little resemblance to Troi's only "son": a rapidly aging radioactive alien lifeform known as Ian who appears in the season two episode "The Child".
• In Ultima VII the Avatar does not have to rescue Riky to complete the game, although the hero doing so is considered canonical, as Tory mentions the incident as having taken place during her appearance in Ultima Underworld II.
• In Ultima Underworld II she trains Charisma skill. After her death, Patterson is the only remaining Charisma trainer.