Raft

A raft in Ultima VI

A raft is a flat-bodied water vessel which lacks a hull.

Description

Rarely used by any who can afford better accommodations, rafts were first encountered in the days of Ultima I, where they served as a sort of poor man's frigate; a cheap solution for anyone needing to cross bodies of water. However, these rafts possessed no on-board armaments, and waterborne adventurers riding them had to rely on their own hand-held weapons – preferably ranged ones – for protection at sea. In this era, these crafts were available at transportation shops in most coastal cities in Sosaria.

During the rise of Exodus, most merchant vessels were sunk by by a pirate fleet, and rafts became unavailable to the Sosarian and later Britannian populaces, with captured pirate vessels being the only means for sea travel for many years. Even after the resurgence of shipwrights around the time of Blackthorn's brief reign, skiffs proved a more popular light water vessel, although rafts briefly made a reappearance in the days of Ultima VI – still unarmed, but capable of accommodating a full party's worth of passengers.

Rafts in Eodon

In the hidden valley of Eodon, the tribal peoples of the area employ rafts for water transport – making use of large, multi-passenger vessels requiring at least four individuals to man the paddles which propel them. Two such crafts could be found in the valley during the Avatar's adventures there in Savage Empire: one to the northeast of the Pindiro village (unfortunately unequipped with the necessary paddles during the time of the hero's journeys); and one on the lake to the west of the Barako village, which was necessary for passage to the island home of Topuru, former shaman of the Urali people.

Ice Raft on Serpent Isle

On the Serpent Isle, the Avatar would be forced in Ultima VII Part Two to navigate the treacherous northern ocean on an ice raft in order to reach Penguin Island, the Gwani Death Temple and the Ice Dragon's Lair. While the ice raft looked like a simple slab of ice, it was fully manouverable and the only way to navigate the partially frozen northern seas.

Lore

“	The helpful Barako natives told us where to find Topuru's island. On the shore of the lake was a large raft — so large, in fact, that it required four people to control, and I was glad we'd dragged Rafkin along — and we poled out to Topuru's island. – from Malone's Guide to the Valley of Eodon (Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire)

Trivia

• Using a raft in Ultima VI is extremely risky, as it is completely dependent on the currents. It is possible that the raft will end up pushed against the edge of the world, forcing the player to reload or quit. A skiff is a more easily-controlled option for water-based travel.

Gallery

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  Using a raft in Savage Empire

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  The ice raft on the Serpent Isle