Man in black

The man in black is an enigmatic figure who is mentioned by numerous characters in the Nintendo-port of Ultima IV, even though he is never seen in-game.

Description

During the Stranger's quest, a number of townsfolk would recall having met a mysterious man in black who was traveling through Britannia. A beggar in Skara Brae would mention that he had come to watch her starve, sprinkling flowers of sulfur upon her wounds. Teresa of Paws would remember that he had stopped by her village, looking for moss. Lastly, a fighter in Jhelom would claim that the sable-clad man had defeated him in battle, striking him with the flat of his sword – a strange blade decorated with a rune of the earth split asunder. He would mention that in the man's sash he had hung a sprig of manroot.

Should the hero piece all of these puzzling clues together, it would become apparent that the man in black knew the formula for the mighty Tremor spell, and after gathering such knowledge, would be able to correctly give the recipe to the sage at Spells Unlimited, allowing them to learn the incantation for their own use.

Identification

Three characters only use the "black wizard" sprite. They are the only possible candidates to be the "man in black":

• Starlight of Buccaneer's Den (most probable candidate; described as "dressed all in black" in the original),
• Flatbush of Vesper,
• Twin Gates of Vesper (less probable candidate).

Starlight of Buccaneer's Den

Flatbush of Vesper

Twin Gates of Vesper