Reconstruction
The Reconstruction refers to the era of britannian history directly after the destruction of the Black Gate in Ultima VII.
History[edit]
The Reconstruction started shortly after the Avatar prevented the Guardian from entering Britannia. In the wake of this near-cataclysmic event, the Fellowship, the tool of the Guardian to corrupt Britannia's society and prepare it for his takeover, was officially outlawed and dismantled. The far reach of the Fellowship also showed itself when the organization itself was destroyed. It had reached far into society and the sudden revelation of its true nature had come as a shock to many. Being told that they had dedicated years of their lives to something which had only used them as dupes caused significant upheaval.
Besides the psychological toll, the Fellowship having dealings in many things did create further problems when the organization got outlawed. The Reconstruction was the answer from the government - a concentrated effort to start the process of repairing the damage done by twenty years of corruption. However, in the process the even deeper problems in Britannia, which had started even before the rise of the Fellowship, would be touched upon. It essentially was the biggest change in Britannian society ever since the establishment of the virtues.
Several events and trends were noted during that time:
- The island of Skara Brae stayed untouched, with no one daring to settle on it, despite the dead having been laid to rest. After over a century, the reputation of the place was just that bad.
- Buccaneer's Den also stayed corrupted, since the long distances meant effective control was impossible, leading to the place becoming a haven for fanatical Fellowship followers.
- It was noted that in Jhelom it was a slow process of channeling back the out-of-control fighting spirit of the fighters into constructive ways after years of being corrupted to run wild.
- In Cove Nastassia came out of her seclusion and helped the effort to clean up Lock Lake, thus making the village a better place to live.
- Britain saw significant changes, despite mayor Patterson staying in power.
- In Minoc the economy had recovered thanks to mayor Burnside rebalancing the trade policies. However, it was noted that the work on improving the lot of the miners - especially the gargoyles - was an ongoing effort.
- Paws was hit especially hard by the loss of Fellowship funds
It most certainly helped that the Avatar was staying in Britannia due to being stranded there, traveling the land to help in the Reconstruction whenever possible, continuing the never ending Quest of the Avatar.
On the one-year anniversary of the destruction of the Black Gate, the Festival of Rebuilding was being held in Castle Britannia and Britain to celebrate what had been achieved so far. In a twist of irony, the Guardian would strike directly after the festival, causing the crisis of the blackrock dome (Ultima Underworld II). At the end of the crisis, Lord British was only more determined to continue the Reconstruction.
It is unknown how the reconstruction continued, though Lord British did state that the teleport storms were a significant setback by causing serious damage to the land.
Lore[edit]
| “ | Since that time, we of the realm have been engaged in a massive project of reconstruction. The Guardian's corruption was widespread, and has left us with many confounding problems. For example, we must reintegrate reformed Fellowship members into society, revitalise the economy, rehabilitate those afflicted by serpent venom and clean up Britannia's polluted landscape. I can only count it as our good fortune to have the Avatar here in Britannia to assist us in this, and to guard the realm from any future menaces.
The Reconstruction is a nationwide effort to repair the social and environmental corruption spread in Britannia by The Fellowship. It is being executed at all levels
of government, from Lord British and the High Council of Britannia, to the citizens of each town. On a personal level, individual citizens are examining their own lives,
deciding for themselves how they were touched by the Guardian's influence, and what came of it. Some cities, such as New Magincia, were relatively untouched by the devastation. Others fared far worse. |
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Trivia[edit]
- It is a point of serious dissatisfaction with many fans, that after this era of history being so important in Ultima Underworld II, subsequent games leave it utterly unmentioned, despite the significant changes the land is going through.
- The people in the castle in Ultima Underworld II show some facets of how society has fared. Nanna, while feeling betrayed by the Fellowship, continues her reform plans to spite them. Feridwyn still tries to do good despite the loss of resources, but had become quite cynical. Syria is unsettled with how the Reconstruction is aiming at Britannia becoming a more civilized society.
| History | |
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| In General | History of Britannia ☥ Timeline |
| Historical Epochs | Age of Darkness ☥ Age of Enlightenment ☥ Age of Armageddon |
| Historical Events | Festival of Rebuilding ☥ Gargoyle War ☥ Great Cataclysm ☥ Minor Wars ☥ Quest of the Avatar Reconstruction ☥ Seven-Year Drought ☥ War of Imbalance |