Sin'Vraal
| Sin'Vraal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sin'Vraal, from Ultima VI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species: | gargoyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sin'Vraal is a winged gargoyle who once served the Shadowlord Astaroth, lord of Hatred. Seemingly the first of his people to journey to the surface of Britannia, the peaceable creature came to dwell in the Drylands after his conversion to the path of the Virtues.
Description[edit]
Sin'Vraal once lived in the Realm of the Gargoyles, suffering as a slave along with his wingless brethren due to his inability to fly. Discontent with his lot, the gargoyle left his homelands, and through means unknown, eventually came to serve as Astaroth's thrall. Eventually, he left the service of his master after having met with Lord British in his prison within Doom, where he learned from the monarch the ways of Britannian virtue. Leaving the Underworld, Sin'Vraal lived a solitary life within his hut in the eastern deserts, far from the humans of the realm who mistook him for a daemon.
During the Avatar's quest to depose of the tyrant Blackthorn in Ultima V, the hero sought out Sin'Vraal, who told the returned champion of his conversion at the hands of the captive ruler. When asked, the seeming "daemon" gave the Avatar much needed information about his former master, revealing not only the hateful wraith's name, but also the location of the Shard of Hatred that spawned it.[1]
Years later, during the Britannian war against the forces of Draxinusom, the Avatar sought Sin'Vraal's counsel again. Telling the hero of his reasons for leaving his people, the gargoyle was able to impart some rudimentary information regarding the Gargish race, telling of the caste divide between the winged and the wingless and describing the necessity of flight in reaching the Shrine of Singularity. Although his deprived upbringing had left him illiterate, he had long known the text of the Book of Prophecies by heart, and knowledgeable of the omens that marked the age of the False Prophet, he directed the Avatar to seek passage to his homeland through the dungeon Hythloth and thereby work towards an end to the war with his people.
Should the Avatar ask after the pirate, Ol' Hawknose, who had numbered amongst the ten crewmates of Captain Hawkins, the gargoyle would reveal that the man who had once attempted to hunt him had been overwhelmed by a nearby colony of giant ants and had been dragged into their mound.
After this point in time, Sin'Vraal did not meet with the Avatar again, likely having succumbed to the weight of his years in the two centuries between the hero's departure following Draxinusom and British's peaceable accord, and their return at the behest of the Time Lord. By the time of the champion's quests in the realm during Ultima VII, no evidence of the gargoyle or his dwelling remained.
Ultima V: Lazarus[edit]
This is an Ultima V: Lazarus-related article or section. The information within may not apply to Ultima V or other Ultima games.
In Ultima V: Lazarus, Sin'Vraal lived in the Drylands, eking out an existence the best he could. He admitted the Drylands were a harsh environment, but there was sufficient water for crops, and occasionally he had other human visitors who spared him food out of Compassion. Sin'Vraal told the hero how this existence was much better than his past life serving the Shadowlord of Hatred, Astaroth.[2]
Originally hesitant to talk about his past, when the gargoyle learned the Avatar's identity, he revealed that he had previously met Lord British in the Underworld, where it was his job to attend the captured lord and ensure he did not perish. Over time the sovereign swayed the gargoyle's mind with talk of the Virtues, and Sin'Vraal chose to flee his master Astaroth and venture out to Britannia on his own. Unfortunately, the gargoyle admitted he no longer had access to the magic of the Shadowlords which allowed him to reach the king, and the way to Lord British was lost to him. Sin'Vraal ensured the hero Lord British would have no luck swaying the Shadowlords minds like his was swayed, but that Astaroth could be destroyed with the Shard of Hatred, which could be found in the Underworld below Covetous or Wrong.
At the behest of Lord Michael of Empath Abbey, the Avatar could bring Sin'Vraal a copy of the book Love and Virtue.[3]
The Ultima 6 Project[edit]
This is an Ultima 6 Project-related NPC article or section. The information within may not apply to Ultima VI or other Ultima games.
In The Ultima 6 Project, if the Avatar talked to Stelnar or Baron de Hugh, the hero could warn Sin'Vraal about their plans to come to the desert and slay him. The gargoyle seemed little concerned, confident that he could defend himself.
Lore[edit]
| “ | A very different sort of character altogether will be found abiding upon the southern reaches of the desert Drylands. The one called Sin’Vraal spins a most inspiring story, though he presents a fearsome countenance. Listen to him, and know that so long as hope lives, even so does our King. |
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Trivia[edit]
- Unlike many other gargoyles, Sin'Vraal speaks the Britannian language with perfect syntax.
References[edit]
- ↑ Sin'Vraal. Underworld Dragon’s Ultima V transcript. Ultima V. "Astaroth, below, deep, earth, evil, foul, hatred, job, king, Shadowlord, shard, summon, virtue, wraith."
- ↑ Sin'Vraal. Ultima V: Lazarus Regional Profiles. Ultima V: Lazarus.
- ↑ Lord Michael. Ultima V: Lazarus Regional Profiles. Ultima V: Lazarus.