Teregus

Teregus
Teregus, from Ultima VII
Species:	gargoyle
Appearances
Ultima VII Location: Terfin

Teregus is a gargoyle sage who tends to the rebuilt Shrines of the Principles on Terfin in Ultima VII.

Description

Teregus tended the altars of Control, Passion and Diligence, leading those seeking their wisdom in meditation. For a donation of five gold coins he would perform personal mediation on behalf of others, and he stood in Terfin as a spiritual bulwark for those which clung to Gargish tradition. The position naturally put him at odds with the local Fellowship branch, and rumors eventually reached him that militant members of the group had made plans to destroy the shrines.

Should the Avatar agree to investigate such claims on Teregus' behalf, the hero would soon find that the only citizens with access to the explosives needed for the task were the provisioners, Betra and Sarpling. Upon searching the shop of Sarpling, the hero could uncover a note from Runeb, the local Fellowship branch clerk, which implicated both parties in the plot. When confronted, the frightened shopkeeper would claim to have been coerced, and would explain that Runeb hoped to depose the branch leader, Quan, by framing him for such a crime. Teregus, upon hearing such evidence, would charge the Avatar with the task of accusing Runeb. The violent official, realizing he had been discovered, would attack the hero, and die in the ensuing conflict.

Tragically, the Avatar could discover from Lord Draxinusom that Teregus had been the parent of Inamo, a young gargoyle who had been brutally murdered in Trinsic. Should the hero bring this unfortunate news to the shrinekeeper, the gargoyle would be shocked, having sent Inamo to Trinsic in the first place that he might avoid conflict with Fellowship members in Terfin. After hearing news of his child's death, Teregus would ask to be left alone for a time, needing to grieve in private for his dead son.

Lore

“	Maintained by Teregus, the Hall continues to illustrate the three principles of Control, Passion and Diligence. However, The Fellowship promotes ideas that vie with those of our traditional Gargish heritage. Teregus has even expressed concern that some members of The Fellowship are planning to destroy the altar that embodies the three principles. – from Key to the Black Gate (Ultima VII)

Trivia

• Teregus might be translated from Gargish as "Leader of the Land" or "Diligence of the Land", assuming that the name is composed of the particles Ter-reg-us. However, Teregus, himself, does not give a meaning for his name, and it may be the case that this word has no specific Gargish translation.
• In the SNES-port of Ultima VII, Teregus will reward the Avatar upon resolving the issue of the plot to destroy the Pedestals, giving the hero information as to where to find a suit of magic armour in the Vesper desert.