Lord British's Amulet
Lord British's Amulet is one of Lord British's Crown Jewels and an artifact of great magical power. While depicted in various forms of heraldry throughout the series, the amulet itself appears only in Ultima V and Ultima VI.
Description[edit]
The magical amulet consists of a silver, serpentine medallion suspended from a gold chain, its likeness variously attributed to Britannia's rarely-observed silver serpents, and even the Great Earth Serpent itself.[1] It emanates a blue aura and is notably warm to the touch, imbued with enchantments that have allowed it both to facilitate interplanetary moongate travel (a property also demonstrated by the Avatar's ankh amulet in conjunction with the Codex Coin) and pierce supernatural forms of darkness.
History[edit]
While the amulet's entire origins are not known, by some circumstance it came to rest in a grove of oak trees on Earth, where it was eventually discovered by the youth who would become known as Lord British. The future king's contact with this mysterious talisman caused a blue moongate to materialize before him, providing his first crossing into the realm of Sosaria and introduction to Shamino Sallé Dacil.[2] It is presumed young British kept the amulet in his possession throughout his subsequent rise to Sosarian lordship, the three Ages of Darkness, and his unification of Britannia to bring about the Age of Enlightenment.
Late in the year 137, Lord British personally led a party of knights to explore the Underworld, a newly discovered network of sprawling caverns that had formed beneath Britannia in the wake of the Great Council's raising of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. Beset by a giant squid, corpsers, rotworms, and mongbats over the course of five days, this ill-fated expedition claimed the lives of most its members.[3] From the knights' burial site beneath Dungeon Destard, Lord British himself was taken by the dreaded Shadowlords and imprisoned deep within Dungeon Doom, leaving only his glowing amulet behind.
More than a year after this incident, in April 139, the Avatar was covertly summoned back to Britannia by companions Iolo and Shamino in order to mount a rescue of Lord British and overthrow his regent Lord Blackthorn, who, under the grim influence of the Shadowlords, had declared the realm under martial law and imposed upon the populace a despotic legislation of the Eight Virtues. In the course of their quest, the Avatar's party descended into the vast Underworld and recovered British's amulet, having need of its unique luminance to guide them through the unholy darkness enveloping Doom that they might liberate Britannia's missing monarch.
With Lord British restored to the throne, his amulet was returned to him and could be directly observed on his person when next the Avatar returned to Britannia in 161, amidst the gargoyle crisis of Ultima VI.
Lore[edit]
| “ | The monarchy continues in some respects. The crown jewels, for example, continue to define the office of ruler, both figuratively and, by their magic content, truly. These precious emblems consist of the jewel-encrusted gold crown, believed to contain a perfect ray of sunlight; the pure gold sceptre, topped by the crystal orb of power; and the silver amulet, in the shape of the mighty earth serpent, said to have come from another world. |
|---|
| “ | The knight Shaana, upon returning to Britannia as the last survivor of Lord British's Underworld expedition, reported that His Majesty had lain his silver Amulet among the graves of his fallen warriors just before being attacked and kidnapped himself. Though traditional folklore ascribes no special power to the serpentine talisman, it is believed by a few that the Amulet has the ability to guide one's path through certain kinds of magical darkness, showing the way where mortal eyes cannot. – from Paths of Destiny (Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny)
|
|---|
Ultima V: Lazarus[edit]
This is an Ultima V: Lazarus-related article or section. The information within may not apply to Ultima V or other Ultima games.
In Ultima V: Lazarus, the amulet can be found after going into the Underworld by climbing down some falls in Spiritwood, following the footsteps of Lord British's expedition. It can also be reached from Dungeon Destard. Wearing the amulet will surround the player with a very bright light.
Trivia[edit]
- The amulet's location in Ultima V can be deduced by following Remoh's journal, a supplement included with the original release of the game that chronicles the route taken by Lord British's expedition.
- While the amulet is of no particular use in Ultima VI, it is possible to steal it from Lord British by using the spell Pickpocket.
- Lord British's Amulet is patterned after a custom necklace created and worn by the monarch's real-world counterpart, Ultima creator Richard Garriott. Garriott was himself inspired to fashion the piece of jewelry as a child after watching Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, in which members of a lost Mayan tribe bear tattoos of the snake god Kukulkan upon their chests. Garriott has worn his medallion almost continuously since its creation, and it has served as the basis for numerous aspects of Ultima lore.[4][5]
Gallery[edit]
Lord British's Amulet deep within the Underworld
The amulet, as envisioned in the trailer for Ultima V: Lazarus
The crown jewels as envisioned in a trailer for Ultima V: Lazarus
References[edit]
- ↑ Garriott, Richard et al. "Government". The Book of Lore (Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1988. Page 9.
- ↑ Garriott, Richard et al. "The Crossing". The Book of Lore (Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1988. Pages 2–3.
- ↑ Garriott, Richard et al. Remoh's journal (Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1988.
- ↑ Addams, Shay. "The Tale of the Silver Serpent". The Official Book of Ultima – Second Edition. COMPUTE Publications International: 1992. Pages 31–34.
- ↑ Antwiler, Noah. “Britannia Burns – Richard Garriott Interview, Part 2”. YouTube. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2018-02-20.