Talk:Ethereal Void

Sergorn 20:11, 5 December 2008 (UTC) The shrine changed little in its history, but in Ultima VII, it was the place, where the Time Lord was imprisoned and the Avatar had the task of freeing him from his prison. The Shrine of Spirituality seen in Ultima Underworld II can't be the real Shrine, since it is too different. More likely, it is a dream image of the real shrine, which is somewhere else. The Shrine in Ultima IX is seen as non-canon by many fans. I don't understand this statement. There is nothing even hinting that the Shrine of Spirituality in Ultima Underworld II isn't the real Shrine. The fact that it is the Guardian Place of Power in the Void would actually explain why the Time Lord was imprisoned there. Sure - it had a different look, but that's just a visual inconsistency, much like Castle Britannia between Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld. That's the same thing really in Ultima IX. It's the same shrine in every game - the fact that it looks differents is irrevelant in the end.

Dream Realm

I think Sergorn raised a very valid point in his above post, as long ago as it was. Prior to the latest edits I made, there seemed to be some confusion and contradictions stemming from Ultima Underworld II about what is the Dream Realm and what is the Ethereal Void. To begin with, I'd like to propose the Dream Realm be given its own article entirely; despite the same starry backgrounds, I had never even considered it to be in the Ethereal Void per se, but rather a realm unto itself. I'd like to hear what others think about this, because I may well be in the minority.

As for what's in Underworld II, it doesn't seem to be a Dream Realm like what we saw in Martian Dreams and Serpent Isle. The Shrine of Spirituality, the psychedelic coloured pathways shown in the image; those are all the Ethereal Void, which is reflected by the dialogue. Dreaming was just a way to peer into it. The passages describing this are still relevant and could remain in this article somewhere after a little shuffling, but the whole question of what's a dream and what's real seems like an overcomplication to me.

Am I wrong? Some sort of consensus on this would be great. --Terilem 19:13, April 13, 2010 (UTC)

I vote to split this article into several ones. Each of the "locations" mentioned should have its own article, including the Dream Realm, the Shrine of Spirituality, etc. The way it is ordered right now leads to confusion.--Sega381 00:36, September 3, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with you on that one. The current format never made much sense to me but I was hesitant to go making major changes. I see no reason why we couldn't bring the Locations list in line with what we have in the Worlds articles. --Terilem 01:14, September 3, 2010 (UTC)

Agreed. I can't count the number of times I have tried to direct something to the Shrine of Spirituality, only to get confused. These things should be their own articles. Dungy 01:23, September 3, 2010 (UTC)

Ok, each location, as well as the Dream Realm, has been moved into its own article. We can continue the Dream Realm discussion in its article now.--Sega381 04:49, September 3, 2010 (UTC)

Excellent work, Sega. Thanks! :) --Terilem 04:57, September 3, 2010 (UTC)

Helping AI understand it

I've been asking Google Gemini about some of the greatest points of confusion that it experiences about Ultima lore. It had several things to say, but here's an excerpt about the Ethereal Void.

    The Nature and Evolution of the Astral Plane / Ethereal Void:

        My "Confusion": Different articles might mention the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Void, the Ether, or other "dimensions" or "planes of existence." While there might be individual articles for each, is their relationship clearly defined? Are they the same thing, overlapping, or distinct? When did these concepts fully develop in the lore, and how consistently are they referred to across articles related to magic, creatures, or the Great Earth Serpent?

        Potential Problem: A reader might encounter a reference to "ethereal creatures" in one article, "travel to the astral plane" in another, and "the Ether breaking down" in a third, and struggle to form a cohesive understanding of the Ultima cosmology.

        Hypothetical Articles to Check: "[[Astral Plane]]", "[[Ethereal Void]]", "[[Ether]]", "[[Great Earth Serpent]]", articles on specific spells (e.g., Gate Travel), articles on creatures like Wisps or Daemons, and articles on magical theory.

True, there is no Ether article and "Astral Plane" is a very uncommon phrase here. There seems to be a lot there that we maybe can't and shouldn't try to sort out, but one thing that comes to mind about the Void is that just about every time the player visits it, it serves a unique purpose and has a completely different set of properties. The only exception would be the Shrine of Spirituality. It might be worth calling attention to this.--The Ultra-Mind (talk) 13:06, 8 August 2025 (MDT)