Shrine of Spirituality

Shrine of Spirituality
Note: the Shrine of Spirituality is not located on Britannia
Located in:	Ethereal Void
Type:	shrine
The Shrine of Spirituality

The Shrine of Spirituality is one of the eight holy sites established by the Council of Wizards during the days of Lord British's philosophical renaissance of the early Age of Enlightenment. It serves to endow pilgrims’ with wisdom in the Virtue of Spirituality but the very act of meditating improves the spiritual Virtue of the subject.

Description

This shrine, dedicated to the Virtue of Spirituality, is located not in Britannia itself, but instead in the Ethereal Void, only reachable by moongate travel. The shrine is adorned with a perennial exit gate leading back to the terrestrial realm. During Ultima VII an ankh lies on its altar. Those who seek wisdom at this holy site may gain a deeper understanding of the virtue of Spirituality, which strives to have a better understanding of the world through Truth, Love and Courage. Gaining entry to the shrine required the use of a rune at various points in its history, and the mantra om was required to fully glean the insights offered at its altar.

The circumstances facilitating moongate access vary by era: in Ultima IV, twin full moons were required, whereas simply stepping through a moongate at midnight sufficed in Ultima V. By the time of the False Prophet, the lone Shrine to escape occupation by gargoyles could be reached in multiple ways: entering a blue moongate at midnight; entering a blue moongate when a moon in its last quarter phase occupied the highest zenith (provided the Spirituality moonstone was not yet liberated); or, more readily, by using the Orb of the Moons, a method depended upon in Ultima VII after the obsidian stone had been appropriately activated by the wisps.

History

Age of Enlightenment

The Shrine of Spirituality was erected around the time of Britannia's christening, and it would figure into the spiritual quest of the Stranger in the pursuit of Avatarhood. The hero would sojourn here after having been proved to be a seeker of enlightenment, and would attain ascendance in ways of Spirituality after meditating on the Virtue for three cycles. The Shrine of Spirituality marked the first of many occasions the Avatar travelled to the Ethereal Void

Later, in the dark days of Lord Blackthorn and the Oppression, the Avatar would travel again to this sacred place, and would be directed by the powers within it to quest after the knowledge of Spirituality contained in the enshrined Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. In the struggle to restore Lord British to his throne, the hero would realize that it was impossible for the dark forces to reach the shrine, so the Word of Power was not needed for an eventual repair.

After the beginning of the Gargish conflict, this shrine and the other seven would all be seized by gargoyle warriors seeking to thwart the prophecy of the False Prophet. Unlike the other shrines, the gargoyles did not garrison this one. In time, however, the Avatar would liberate it and could again meditate there on the mysteries of Spirituality. With proper experience, the Avatar could draw on the shrine to gain boosts in strength, dexterity and intellect.

Age of Armageddon

Over the next two centuries, the Shrine of Spirituality would fall into disuse, as the seductive philosophies of the Fellowship eventually came to supplant widespread adherence to the Eight Virtues, though it stayed safe in the void. By the time of the Avatar's eventual return near the time of the astronomical alignment, the hero would find that the Guardian had trapped the Time Lord at the shrine, after finally gaining access to it. The actions needed however to free the Time Lord collapsed all moongates, making access to the shrine impossible.

Nonetheless, one year later, the crisis surrounding the blackrock dome surprisingly allowed the Avatar access to the shrine. It served as one of the sinister being's places of power and housed a blackrock gem, reachable only by first navigating a color-coded maze system which had sprung up around it. The Avatar had to manage to remove the dark artifact and cut the Guardian's line of power to the shrine.

During the hero's exile on Pagan, the Guardian and his forces would corrupt the shrine. In doing so, the corresponding rune was twisted into an artifact known as a glyph. During the last quest in Britannia, the Avatar would be able to cleanse the Shrine of Spirituality of such evils, using the powers of the Ankh of Spirituality to undo the damage wrought by the Destroyer of Worlds. The environment surrounding the Shrine differed markedly from the bespangled, celestial ambience of prior times, instead resembling a vast, misty cavern. While here, the Avatar was reunited with the ghost of Dupre, as well as those of any other companions who were slain as Wyrmguard.

Lore

“

A good meditation — focusing on a proper Mantra — will sometimes yield valuable visions to those whose patience and powers of concentration are strong. The experience is well worth sampling. ... Many philosophers hold the opinion that the Path is in reality but a series of separate small paths. Each minor path leads to the fulfillment of an aspect of ourselves. Treading one of these minor paths may be construed as a life’s goal, and many people have debated which is the most advantageous to follow. Yet is not the whole much greater than the sum of its parts? Take up the challenge and tread not one but all of the minor paths in thy search for enlightenment and perfection. Perhaps only then will though find the beginnings of the great Path. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)

“

Each of Britannia’s eight leading townes celebrates one of the virtues of Avatarhood, and each has raised a shrine to that virtue. The shrines are located in retreats to ensure tranquillity in natural settings, so traveling to some shrines requires a considerable journey from their townes. The only requirement for using a shrine is knowing the mantra for that virtue. A mantra is a sound repeated continuously during meditation, helping to clear the mind and focus the spirit. Each virtue has a specific mantra that works best for it, and sincere meditation can bring great wisdom. Someone in towne will usually divulge the mantra for the towne’s shrine. – from Book of Lore (Ultima V)

“

You can only gain a true appreciation of such increases by returning to one of the Shrines of Virtue and engaging in reflection and meditation. To meditate, learn the mantra of the shrine of your choice. Then talk to the shrine and follow its instructions. ... In compiling information about the daemonic Gargoyles invading our land they have begun to detect a pattern. It appears that our foes are trying to capture the Shrines of Virtue found near the major towns. The moonstones are now in their possession, and, as each new shrine falls, a stone is placed on the altar there. To prevent anyone from removing the stones, the gargoyles have erected impenetrable force fields around the altars. – from Compendium (Ultima VI)

Alternate Appearance

• In Lord of Ultima, a Shrine of Spirituality can randomly be located in Caledonia.
• In the cancelled Ultima Online 2 and the Technocrat War trilogy, the Shrine of Spirituality was to be included on the southwestern continent of Avenosh.

Trivia

• In Ultima VI, the Shrine of Spirituality adds one bonus point each to Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence when advancing a character's level.
• The Keyring Mod for the Ultima VII utility, Exult, gives the Avatar the option to meditate at the Shrine of Spirituality using its corresponding rune. It will issue a quest for the hero to seek knowledge of Spirituality from the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, as it had in previous games.

Gallery

• 

  Shrine of Spirituality art from Mysterious Sosaria

• 

  A Shrine of Spirituality in LoU

• 

  The shrine in Ultima VI

• 

  The shrine in Ultima Underworld II

• 

  The Shrine in Ultima IX

• 

  The shrine in the SNES-port of Ultima VII

External Links

• Ultima Ascension 8th Shrine of Spirituality. Cleansing. (YouTube)

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Geography