Peer gems
This article is about magical gems that allow users to see their surroundings. For other uses, see Gem (disambiguation).
Peer gems are gems that allow the user to view a larger area of the surroundings. These magical items offer a temporary, expansive view of an adventurer’s surroundings, serving a similar function to the Peer spell but accessible to non-magic users.
Description[edit]
Looking into these gems reveals a map of the surroundings to the adventurer. These gems perform the same function as the magic spell Peer, but can be used even by people who hold no magic power of their own. However, each gem becomes non-functional after a single use. These gems appear in Ultima III, Ultima IV, Ultima V and Ultima VI.
History[edit]
Peer gems appeared first during the time of Exodus. They could only be bought at the illegal guild shops and were quite expensive. This did not change in the Age of Enlightenment, although monsters could often be found carrying them by the time of the Shadowlords. By Ultima VI, any tool shop sold them, breaking the monopoly of the guild. During that time it was also discovered that the magic inside these gems allowed the crafting of glass swords, as shown by Dale of Minoc, who could forge a glass sword from five peer gems.
After the time of the False Prophet, these gems vanished without a trace from Britannia.
Locations[edit]
- Sub article: Locations
Lore[edit]
| “ | With the aid of a special item, thou can gain an overview of where the Party is located. On the surface, the map is of the entire world. In a town or castle, the map shows all the inside areas. When used in a dungeon, all of that level is visible. Even the ladders, doors, and special objects are shown. – from The Book of Play (Ultima III: Exodus)
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| “ | Guilds carry the ancient symbol of the thieves' trade, though many a good adventurer oft has need of their goods. In olden times, guilds sold such items as lockpicks, glasses for seeing what the naked eye cannot, equipment for working clandestinely in the dark, and the like. |
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| “ | Terribly useful items. They’ll help you find your way when you are lost, and can occasionally reveal the presence of hidden chambers as well. |
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Trivia[edit]
- The gem given by Lord British at the beginning of Forge of Virtue behaves like a peer gem, except that it only works in one particular location.
- Any crystal ball encountered in Ultima V fulfills the same function as these gems.
- Peer gems essentially replaced the mapping helms of Ultima II.
- In Ultima VI, Lord British rewards the Avatar with numerous peer gems for bringing him the book Wizard of Oz. In the C64-port of Ultima VI however, peer gems (and the spell) do not exist at all.
