Malas
Malas is a world added to Ultima Online in the fifth expansion pack Ultima Online: Age of Shadows, representing another facet of the splintered Sosaria. Malas was introduced on February 28, 2003.
Description[edit]
Malas is unlike other worlds in that it actually floats in the Ethereal Void. The landmass is split into three distinct parts. The northern mass, with the city of Luna, was in the past controlled by the Paladins, the southern mass, with the city of Umbra, was in the past controlled by the Necromancers, and the crumbling continent lies between them. Both cities are connected by bridges. The land actually due to some unknown reason became fully depopulated and it was only re-settled after people from Britannia gained access to it.
Malas is a land of polar opposites; a land where good and evil, light and dark clash especially harshly. It also offers a new dungeon and land for player housing.
Locations[edit]
Settlements[edit]
Dungeons[edit]
Locations[edit]
- Bridge of the Divide
- Coliseum
- Crumbling Continent
- Forgotten Pyramid
- Grand Arena
- Grumswind Ruins
- Isle of the Divide
Lore[edit]
| “ | The Gem of Immortality, forever linked to the world of Sosaria, shattered years ago and within its shards strange new copies of the world were created. Time and space were skewed by imperfections within the facets, and alternate lands and histories came to exist. Now one of these warped lands has come into alignment with the facets of Britannia. Across the blackest of voids, in a sea of stars, trapped in a facet darkened by evil, rests the continent of Malas. In ages past, Malas was peopled by two advanced societies. To the north the righteous Paladins fought for virtue and honor. To the south the dark Necromancers held control over death itself. But now the entire population of Malas has mysteriously vanished and the cities lie empty and vacant, awaiting new settlers from Britannia. Beware, for Malas is a land of intense good and evil, a place where the brightest light often casts the darkest shadow. |
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| “ | Floating within a dark sea of stars, Malas is a broken land, wracked by great tremors that constantly threaten the stability of its continents. Its origin is a mystery, and its future inscrutable, but what is known is that this facet is unlike any other. Three great sections of land — one of which is already in the process of crumbling into smaller islands — are connected by bridges, and in between them lays a vast abyss of nothingness. And yet, despite this unstable environment, life has flourished in the Dark Facet; creatures of all types call Malas home, and even humans have forged lives there. |
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Developer Info[edit]
Hanse here: I spent two weeks making this landmass. I had to code a C++ application to paint the world (I also used it to make Tokuno). I used Photoshop to print out revisions. Luna was modeled after Byzantine and English castles. Umbra was created as a city of flowing lava that was frozen in place by the Necromancers. The facet's main purpose was to extend housing, because most of the shards were full, at the time. Most of the facet is empty of points of interest, due to the housing requirement. I was in charge of design for the facet as well as the art team's effort to add new content to the game. The art was mostly decorative such as the crystals around Luna and the mushrooms around Umbra.
There are hidden pouches in the world that allow you to place a rune into them and mark it to a hidden plateau (one of my Easter eggs). My initials are on top of the healer hut in Umbra and on the floor of my hostel. Many other designers on the team helped fill out the world with decorations, such as the pyramid in the desert. I also helped build dungeon Doom, but most of that dungeon was made by another designer.
During the war between the Paladins and the Necromancers, a circle of Necromancers cast Armageddon in their final battle. That spell wiped out all life on the facet.
| Worlds of Ultima Online | |
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| The Worlds | Britannia ☥ Trammel ☥ Felucca ☥ The Lost Lands ☥ Ilshenar ☥ Malas ☥ Tokuno Islands ☥ Ter Mur ☥ Eodon |