Mathis

Mathis
Mathis, from Ultima IX
Species:	ghost
Appearances
Ultima IX Location: Well of Souls Transcript: Mathis

Mathis is a spirit that the Avatar met in the Well of Souls of Skara Brae in Ultima IX.

Description

He was a warrior coming from the Mathis Mines that lay to the west of Yew. However he had little interest in the arts of war and instead dreamed of becoming a mage in Moonglow, which caused many of the other children to pick on him and in turn lead him to be a coward. When time came to go through his rite of adulthood that consisted in stealing the totem of a nearby goblin tribe (which in turn would have lead them to abandon fighting), he ran away instead, intent on finding his way to Moonglow. He was however attacked by wolves on the way, and died.

The Avatar returned to Mathis’ village and found out that it had been destroyed by the goblins because Mathis did not steal the totem and the people of Yew refused to offer their help. Upon learning what befell his village, Mathis realized his mistake and understood that Courage was an important value and that he should not have fled.

Finally at peace, his soul departed after telling the Avatar that the Bell of Courage could be found in the sunken ruins of Serpent's Hold where his peopled use to go on a pilgrimage.

Lore

“

To my dearest son, I fear you will return to a desecrated home. The goblin raids are becoming more frequent and more intense every day. All of the men have gone off to hunt for the goblin camp, but we have little hope that they will return. Most of the women have already left. They believed that by seeking help in Yew that our prayers would be answered. Sadly, they were told that our problem was not a concern of the people of Yew. Mathis, I have written you this letter so that you might know what happened to your family. I know that my heart has been empty not knowing what has befallen you; I would not wish that same emptiness on you. I only wish that you had talked to me before running away. We could have worked things out, dear one. I love you, Mathis. Remember me... Your loving mother, Lila – from Mathis’ note (Ultima IX)

Trivia

• The concept of the putting down the spirit to rest is very much similar to Shamino’s tale of Virtue that was released on the Ultima IX website.