Serpent's Spine

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Serpent's Spine
Lc-Serpents Spine.png
Location of the Serpent's Spine
Located in: Britannia
Type: mountain range
U3FM-end007.png
A young Lord British shows the newly formed mountains to the Stranger, and gives them the name "Serpent's Spine" before they were mapped.

The mountain range of the Serpent's Spine is located in central Britannia and runs from west to east.

Description[edit]

The mountains of the Serpent's Spine, named after the way their profile looks from the windows of Lord British's castle, separate the Deep Forest in the north from Britain and Castle Britannia in the south. They are next to impassable, so one either has to go around them, or use the Serpent's Pass. These mountains also hold the entrance to the dungeon Despise in their middle part.

History[edit]

Age of Enlightenment[edit]

In Ultima IV the Stranger learned from the ghost Isaac in Skara Brae, that the white stone was hidden in these mountains, and that a balloon was needed in order to actually reach it. With the balloon from the entrance of Hythloth, the Stranger did manage to reach the small valley in the Serpent's Spine, marked by an ankh shrine, and recover the stolen stone.

Several years later in Ultima V, the Stranger (now the Avatar) learned from the glassblower Sven in Buccaneer's Den that a shipment of glass swords was lost in the Serpent's Spine by an incompetent airship captain. Using the grapple, the Avatar reached the same valley where the white stone had been, and found there numerous glass swords.

Age of Armageddon[edit]

By the time of Ultima VII, several radical elements under the leadership of the mage Selwyn had erected their own fortress in these mountains and planned to murder the sovereign of Britannia. However, they were surprised by the Avatar and killed before these plans could come to fruition. The mage's tower could be found at the foot of the mountains.

Unlike other parts of the land, the Great Cataclysm destroyed the plains surrounding the Serpent's Spine, which became an insurmountable barrier, fully separating the two parts of the now smaller Britannian mainland. This made travel between parts next to impossible in Ultima IX, with the Avatar being forced to resort to a tunnel to pass the mountains.

Lore[edit]

To the north of the castle of Lord British lies the great mountain range, known as the Serpent's Spine. The peaks of this range are the highest in all Britannia. During the summer months, a small out-of-the-way pass allows knowledgeable travellers to save much time on their journeys. Beware of the one-eyed Cyclops and fierce, two-headed Ettins that inhabit this range.
Mountains are rugged natural barriers for anyone without proper equipment. Beware, however, of certain wild creatures to whom the rocky crags are home. The highest peaks are simply impassable.

Places of Interest[edit]

Trivia[edit]

Gallery[edit]


Geography
Britannia
Cities YewMinocSkara BraeBritainNew MaginciaMoonglowJhelomTrinsicMagincia
Valoria
Castles Castle BritanniaEmpath AbbeyLycaeumSerpent's Hold
BordermarchFarthingWindemereStonegate
Towns BritannysBuccaneer's DenCoveDawnPawsTerfinVesper
Shrines CompassionHonestyHonorHumilityJusticeSacrificeValorSpirituality
Shrine of the Codex
Dungeons The AbyssCovetousDeceitDespiseDestardDoomHythlothShameWrong
Lighthouses FogsbaneGreyhavenStormcrowWaveguide
Caves Ant moundBee caveBuccaneer's CaveCyclops CaveDesert DungeonHeftimus Cave
Heroes' HoleMoonglow catacombsPirate CaveSpirit TunnelsSpider CaveSwamp Cave
Vesper mine
Islands AmbrosiaIsle of the AvatarDagger IsleDeadman's IslandIsle of Deeds
Isle of FireJanus IslandMarsor's IsleSpektranValarian IslandsValorian Isles
Verity Isle
Lakes Lake GenerosityLock LakeLost Lake
Major Areas Bloody PlainsBog of DesolationBritanny BayCape of HeroesChannel of Lost Hope
Deep ForestDrylandsFens of the DeadHigh SteppesLost Hope Bay
Realm of the GargoylesSerpent's SpineSpiritwoodUnderworld
Serpent Isle
Cities FawnMonitorMoonshade
Settlements Inn of the Sleeping BullIsles of the Mad MageMonk IsleNorthern Encampment
Dungeons SkullcrusherSpinebreakerFurnaceKnight's TestMountains of Freedom
Ruins Shamino's CastleCastle of the White DragonShrine of BalanceTemple of Discipline
Temple of EmotionTemple of EnthusiasmTemple of EthicalityTemple of Logic
Temple of Tolerance
Islands Isle of BeyondClawIsle of CryptsGwani Death TempleIce dragons’ lair
Isles of the Mad MageMonk IslePenguin IslandSunrise Isle
Interesting Areas Gorlab SwampGreat Northern ForestIce PlainsKnight's Forest
Serpent Isle Guard TowersWestern Forest
The Silver Seed Abandoned OutpostAram-Dol’s lairIssik's MazeSerpent's FangThe Fiend's Domain
Pagan
Settlements Argentrock IsleDaemon's CragTenebrae
Other Carthax LakeCatacombsCemeteryFishermen's ReefHall of the Mountain King
Herdsman's ValleyPlateauShrine of the Ancient OnesStone CoveTreasure Cove
Vengeance Bay