New Magincia
| New Magincia | |
|---|---|
 Location of New Magincia | |
| Located in: | Britannia |
| Type: | town |
 The sheep herds of New Magincia | |
New Magincia is an island settlement located east of Buccaneer's Den and west of Verity Isle.
Description[edit]
New Magincia is dedicated to the virtue of Humility, having been built upon the ruins of the destroyed bastion of pride, Magincia. Unassuming as a city, New Magincia is home to simple shepherds and farmers, tending to their land and flocks. Throughout the ages, New Magincia has remained quiet and possesses little spectacle to attract the excitement-seeking adventurer. The pastoral simplicity of the town, however, has attracted many who wish to escape the worldly rigors of life elsewhere, and many former nobles and knights have been found on the isle, leading peaceable and contemplative existences free of pomp. The economy of the city is largely derived from its agrarian industry, although shipwrights occasionally crop up to meet the demand for travel to more exciting climes.
A moongate on the south edge of the island has long made transportation to faster paced cities an easy undertaking.
History[edit]
New Magincia stands on the land which once housed the grand city of Magincia, home to arrogant merchants who dedicated themselves to the ignobility of pride. This overzealous pomp earned the wrath of dark forces, and this eventually culminated in the arrival of a daemonic horde, which razed the city and slaughtered its inhabitants.[1] When the hero who would become the Avatar arrived at the ruin in Ultima IV the husk of Magincia contained little save for the restless spirits of its condemned. The sole survivor of the calamity, a humble shepherd named Katrina eventually came to join the Stranger in the quest for Avatarhood, and would eventually become one of the hero's enduring companions.[2]
Age of Enlightenment[edit]
In the year 136, settlers came to rebuild upon the ruins of the old city of pride, laying the ghosts of old to rest and founding a city dedicated to humility upon the waste.[1] The early inhabitants of the new settlement were farmers, working as a collective in communal fields.[3] In the days of Ultima V, the simple hamlet, like so many other cities, fell victim to the hauntings of the Shadowlords. It was the refuge of councilman Hassad from Skara Brae, being hidden by the farmer Kaiko until the Shdowlords found him there and took him to Blackthorn for imprisonment, as the inhabitants later told the Avatar.
By the Gargoyle War of Ultima VI, New Magincia had changed but little. There was no evidence of its previous collective structure, and it now was governed by a regular mayor, although its inhabitants lives remained much the same, tending to matters of fields, fish and flocks. During the Avatar's visit, the mayor, Antonio, engaged the hero in a game of sorts, asking the champion to determine who among the city's inhabitants was most humble.[4]
Age of Armageddon[edit]
Over the next two centuries, the people of isle remained much the same, even in the face of the vast and varied social changes that beset the rest of Britannia. New Magincia seemed a place forgotten by time. The mayor, Magenta, even explained that the Britannian Tax Council had often forgotten to visit the city, leaving the area with unexpected tax relief.[5] It was during this time that Alagner, a scholar critical of the newly formed philosophical society known as the Fellowship, immigrated to the island, hoping to escape their influence and gather proof of their nefarious plans.[6]
In Ultima VII, the Avatar had need to consult Alagner to obtain his notes for the Xorinite wisps. This ill-fated exchange of information, however, brought about the sage's brutal assassination at the hands of the organization he had critiqued, disturbing the quiet of the parochial town with an unexpected act of violence. As peace returned to the village and throughout much of the following two centuries, the town design changed to focus on crystalline homes and towers. Little else changed in that time and the world moved on and left the island isolated.
When the Guardian plagued Britannia with his columns, their effect stripped the inhabitants of New Magincia of their much vaunted humility, and droves of citizens left the isle.[7] Ironically, the end of New Maginica proved much the same as the end of the Old Maginica, with the settlement left an abandoned ruin – and none save Katrina living on the isle by the age of Ultima IX.
Lore[edit]
| “ | A towne built on the ruins of old Magincia by a colony of humble people who understand well the dangers of false, self-serving pride and the beauty of humility. New Magincia has a healer and a restaurant tucked among its numerous modest farms and orchards. |
|---|
| “ | Having been destroyed in ancient times for its haughty pride, New Magincia was rebuilt by a more humble people who favored the simple ways of farming and rural life. With the passage of time, an industrious village has grown atop the ruins of the old town. Those who would revel in their own pride should take special note of the lesson of New Magincia. – from Compendium (Ultima VI: The False Prophet)
|
|---|
| “ | Here's an island town where they have an odd pastime. Seems everyone's always striving to be humbler than everyone else. Of course, you can't really brag about how well you're doing at that sort of thing, or you've kind of defeated the purpose, haven't you? It' s a queer little place. They've got a lord who's more interested in doing magic tricks than learning how to run the place. Fortunately it doesn't need much looking after. – from The Book of Prophecy (Ultima VI)
|
|---|
| “ | New Magincia is known as the City of Humility, and hence it chooses to remain isolated from much of the rest of Britannia. If thou venture there, thou will find that the people are basically shy, but also warm and hospitable once they have gotten used to thee. The city is located on an eastern island well past most of the main trade routes. Time progresses more slowly in New Magincia than anywhere else in Britannia. The economy of New Magincia is based on shipbuilding, horticulture and raising sheep. |
|---|
| “ | Some cities, such as New Magincia, were relatively untouched by the devastation. Others fared far worse. |
|---|
| “ | The city of Magincia, once the greatest city of Britannia, fell to the sin of pride, and from its remains were drawn the lessons with which to build New Magincia. Founded by the shepherds of the old town who sought to remove themselves far from the influence of a shameful history, New Magincia offered a quiet place to live for those who sought continuity and simplicity in life. Humility became New Magincians defining trait, as they sought to return to the values of their forebears. Little changed in the crystalline homes of New Magincia, and the people preferred it that way. Yet it appears that the modern world has found the current of their isolated isle. The humble shepherds have abandoned their flocks in pursuit of grander dreams in other places. Animals run free along the dirt paths, as the island has been abandoned, save one. Only the most humble will live in New Magincia. – from Journal (Ultima IX: Ascension)
|
|---|
Inhabitants[edit]
Ultima IV[edit]
New Magincia did not exist at the time of Ultima IV. For a list of the inhabitants of the ruins of Magincia during Ultima IV, see inhabitants of Magincia.
Ultima V[edit]
.png)
.png)
- Braunam: proprietor of The Den
- Felicity: proprietor of The Humble Palate
- Fumiko: farmer
- Kaiko: farmer
- Katrina: Companion of the Avatar
- Shirita: grave caretaker
- Tetsuo: young man
- Tomoka: farmer
- Wartow: old man
- Yasuda: farmer
Ultima V: Lazarus[edit]
- Genne: Owner of The Humble Palate
| New Magincia – Ultima V: Lazarus map |
Ultima VI[edit]
- Antonio: mayor
- Aurendir: shepherd
- Charlotte: weaver
- Conor: fisherman
- Dunbar: tavernkeeper
- Katrina: Companion of the Avatar
- William: farmer
The Ultima 6 Project[edit]
| New Magincia – The Ultima 6 Project map |
Ultima VII[edit]
- Alagner: a scholar; purported to be the wisest man in Britannia
- Battles: a bodyguard working for Robin; shipwrecked on the island
- Boris: owner and operator of the Modest Damsel tavern
- Constance: the keeper of the Well of Humility
- Henry: a peddler
- Katrina: a shepherdess; also a Companion of the Avatar
- Leavell: a bodyguard working for Robin; shipwrecked on the island
- Magenta: the mayor of New Magincia
- Robin: a professional gambler; shipwrecked on the island
- Russell: a shipwright
- Sam: a flower seller
Ultima VII (SNES-Port)[edit]
- Caladin: barfly
- Iseult: celebrant
- Kerowyn: concerned wife
- Rachael: florist
- Rothgar: shipwright
- Tibbets: provisioner
- Zared: barfly
Ultima IX[edit]
 Map of New Magincia in Ultima IX with runic legend |
- Katrina: Companion of the Avatar
Services[edit]
Ultima V[edit]
Ultima VI[edit]
Ultima VII[edit]
Places of Interest[edit]
Trivia[edit]
- The completely different building style of New Magincia in Ultima IX went unexplained. Besides the issue that it does not mesh with all previous information about New Magincia and its connection to Humility, these crystal houses also have an obvious privacy problem.
- According to Scott Jones (Art Director), the shift to Crystalline (not glass) homes over the 2 centuries was to imply a shift toward a more prideful existence among the populace.
Gallery[edit]
New Magincia art from Mysterious Sosaria
Abandoned New Magincia in Ultima IX
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shirita. Notable Ultima. Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny. "soul, envy, pride, flames".
- ↑ Katrina. Notable Ultima. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar. "job".
- ↑ Fumiko. Ultima V transcript. Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny. "job".
- ↑ Antonio. Ultima VI transcript. Ultima VI: The False Prophet. "humi,star".
- ↑ Magenta. Paul Carr Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII: The Black Gate. "job, mayor, administration".
- ↑ Alagner. Paul Carr Ultima VII transcript. Ultima VII: The Black Gate. "job,new magincia, corruption, evil, suspect".
- ↑ Aneassa. Ultima IX transcript. Ultima IX: Ascension.
| Geography |
|---|
| Pagan | |
|---|---|
| Settlements | Argentrock Isle ☥ Daemon's Crag ☥ Tenebrae |
| Other | Carthax Lake ☥ Catacombs ☥ Cemetery ☥ Fishermen's Reef ☥ Hall of the Mountain King Herdsman's Valley ☥ Plateau ☥ Shrine of the Ancient Ones ☥ Stone Cove ☥ Treasure Cove Vengeance Bay |