Lock Lake

Lock Lake
Location of Lock Lake
Located in:	Britannia
Type:	lake
Polluted Lock Lake in Ultima VII

Lock Lake (sometimes Loch Lake) lay to the east of Britain, far south of Lost Hope Bay.

Description

Once a part of the Great Sea, this inland lake was separated from the nearby ocean to the south by Britannia's ever changing geography, and eventually came to be connected to the sea by only a shallow river. For centuries, the Shrine of Compassion lay on the southwestern shores of this lake, while the peaceful town of Cove found itself on its eastern shores in the years before its eventual destruction.

History

Age of Enlightenment

In its earliest incarnation, Lock Lake kept the city of Cove separated from much of the mainland. In these early days of the Age of Enlightenment, sailors who had the misfortune to have their ships caught in one of the great whirlpools which wracked the seas would find themselves transported to Lock Lake by unknown means – and it was generally through such harrowing journeys that wayfarers came to the shores of Cove. As the years passed, however, Lock Lake became easily navigable by means of skiffs, and eventually the thinning river which fed it could be bridged on foot – a slow shift which gradually opened Cove to outside traffic.

Age of Armageddon

By the time of the Avatar's adventures concerning the Black Gate, Lock Lake had been severely polluted by runoff from the Britannian Mining Company's Minoxian branch, leaving its waters covered in debris and offal. During this age, Great Council members Miranda and Inwisloklem endeavored to pass legislation to prohibit unauthorized dumping, and as the country slowly began the process of the reconstruction following the Fellowship's disbandment, clean up efforts led by the young Nastassia gradually began to make progress in restoring the area to its former beauty.

Eventually, however, Lock Lake would fall prey to the geological ravages of the Great Cataclysm, flooding and destroying Cove as much of the eastern half of the continent was submersed under the sea, fusing with Lost Hope Bay to form the Channel of Lost Hope.

Lore

“	The High Steppes border an interior lake fabled for mysterious disturbances. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)

“	There are two major lakes: Lost Lake, in western central Britannia, feeds Lost River, which empties into the delta on the northwestern shore, by means of a network of tiny estuaries; Lock Lake, in north central Britannia, is actually a cutoff inlet from the sea and still has a mix of salt water. – from The Book of Lore (Ultima V)

“	The city of Cove is the cleanest city in all of Britannia. Although the city itself is pristine, a traveller would be wise to avoid Lock Lake, which has become very polluted in recent years. – from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)

Places of Interest

• Cove
• Shrine of Compassion

Trivia

• In the Nintendo-port of Ultima IV, Lock Lake is known as Tsuku Lake.
• Ultima VI causes some confusion over the lake’s name:
  • Official maps clearly mark it as “Lock Lake“ (in runic).
  • Lazeena and Sionnach call it ”Loch Lake”.
  • The manual calls it “Lost Lake”, which is the name of another lake.

References

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Geography