Part 104: Chapter 11, Part 4

This is a marvelous place.

There are three ghosts we can help here:

One is a thief. After making him confront the fact that he's a filthy criminal he tells us where to find the Book of Truth.
Another is some woman who neglected her baby daughter. She's sad because she was selfish in life and let her baby starve to death. If we find her baby's body and bring it to her, she tells us how she never understood the meaning of love and where to find the Candle of Love.
And the last one is a coward. He was sent to collect some goblin war totem but got scared. When we go to his village by Yew we find that everybody is dead, only it's Ultima 9 so his village is actually 3 broken crates and a charred corpse. After telling him the news he gets about it and tells us where to find the Bell of Courage.


This is supposed to be one mammoth collection quest, taking us across all of Britannia and eating up about 8 hours of time. Fortunately we did all of this crap as we were cleansing the shrines, so we can (and do!) ignore these hapless spirits and continue with our quest!











The first step to the ritual is to remove the green barrier. To do this we need to light the four braziers in the corners of the room.




We are really lazy and don't have Ignite hotkeyed anymore, so we light the braziers with BOLT OF FLAME.




First we read from the Book of Truth.




Then we light the Candle of Love.

Note: do not be lazy and light the Candle of Love with BOLT OF FLAME, because then this will happen and then the game will crash:







Then we ring the Bell of Courage and recite the Mantra of Spirituality.




: I need to tell you some important information that I learned about the Guardian and about Lord British while I was on my spirit quest.
: What do you need to tell me about Lord British?
: Lord British has gone off to the Abyss to confront Blackthorn. This is the first time that the old fellow has left his castle in years and I think that what he's doing is very dangerous.
: Don't worry, I'll follow him and make sure that no harm comes to him.
: There is, however, one problem with that: when Lord British used the gate ritual to travel to the Abyss, he sealed it off to anyone else.
: I know of only one way to defeat the gate ritual that Lord British performed, but I'm not certain that we should use it.
: Are there any physical means to get around the ritual?
: Unfortunately no. There's only one way that I know of to defeat the ritual, and I am loath to use it.
: I'll use the gate ritual myself.
: It won't work, Avatar. You don't have that strength of magic. Only one thing that I know of does, and I don't know that it should be used.
: How can we defeat Lord British's ritual?
: The gate ritual sealed the Abyss to beings who live outside of it.
: If you could summon a creature native to the Abyss that possesses magic, that creature should be able to defeat the ritual.
: But that means summoning a great demon. Is it right that we use such a force of evil, even if it aids us in our quest?
: We may do as we please so long as no others are harmed by our actions. I'll summon this creature, but will be sure to bind it so that it can't get free and harm anyone.


...Oh no, here it comes.


: There is one thing I must tell you first.
: This is troubling news, friend, and I ask you to listen with an open mind.

TACKED-ON BULLSHIT PLOT TWIST ALERT!

: The Guardian is not simply some evil being from out of the wastes of the void. He's specifically tied to Britannia and to you.
: Tied to me? What exactly are you trying to say?
: The Guardian is part of you, or at least he was once part of you.
: The Guardian is the result of what happened when you became the Avatar: the evil side of you was stripped away, and eventually it coalesced into the Guardian.

Whoever stripped away the evil didn't do a very good job of it.


: So you're telling me that the Guardian is my evil twin?
: I wouldn't say that he's your twin, but he is, or was, a part of you.
: How can that be true? No seriously, I mean how? Who wrote this and why? Why? It makes no goddamn sense!
: I know it's not a pleasant idea, but think about it: when you became the Avatar, the evil side of you was stripped away. At least, this is what the people who made this game thought happened. It's not like any of them actually played an Ultima game before. What the fuck is wrong with EA?
: All of that negative energy had to go somewhere, didn't it? This isn't a verdict against you, Avatar. It's a verdict against Electronic Arts.
: If anything, it's a validation of your being the Avatar, or a fault in the concept of a person being all things good to a people. And also a fault in letting EA touch a video game series with a plot more complex than Madden.
: In any case, the Guardian is out there, and he needs to be defeated. Then there's the matter of where Lord British has gone. Also, just to drive home a point, the Guardian symbolizes EA and his columns have ruined Britannia. Get it?
: This is all I can tell you about the Guardian. Now, you should go and summon the creature from the Abyss. Good luck, my friend.


After our conversation is over, another ghost appears.




: Please forgive me for disturbing your rest, but I must beg a favor.
: What?! The Avatar? You're the one who caused Pyros to destroy me!
: Have you lost your mind? We need his help; you can't anger him like that!
: You're right, I should be more tactful.
: Yes, you should. Now try again.
: Please forgive me for disturbing your rest, Malchir, but I must beg a favor.
: Why would I want to help you? You are the person responsible for my death and the forture that I've endured since.
: If it were within my power, I would strike you down where you stand!
: Torture? What torture have you suffered?
: Do you think that Pyros' flames stopped burning me once my body was dead? Well they haven't!
: I've been burning in those flames from the moment that Pyros dispatched me. Since that time the only thing that I've felt aside from the flames is my hatred of you.
: And now you want me to help you?
: Good spirit, you burn not from Pyros' flames, but from your own hatred of the Avatar.
: Who are you? What do you know of me and my pain?
: Go on, Shamino; talk to him.
: Thank you. Malchir, I do not know you, but I know a great deal of spirituality and the ethereal world.
: I know that Pyros' flames can not reach you in that world. The flame that burns you comes not from Pyros, but from your hatred of the Avatar.
: Release that anger and you will be freed of your pain.
: Hmm, I can feel a strong knowledge of spirituality within you. Perhaps you are right, but how do I free myself of the hate that has sustained me for so long?
: Help us. Give us the ritual that will summon Pyros. In doing so, your act of forgiveness will free you of your hatred and pain.
: I see the truth in your words. Very well, I will help you. If you wish to summon Pyros, do the following and do not deviate one bit from what I tell you:
: Please a Demon Skull, Sulphurous Ash, Spider Silk and Blackrock into the center of a pentagram.
: After this is done, place a red candle in the center of the pentagram and light it.
: The reagents will be consumed, and Pyros will appear.
: Thank you, gentle spirit.
: No, my thanks go to you. Already, I feel the flames subside as the hate leaves me. Finally, I am at peace. Farewell.

: Very well, you know the ritual, but it must be cast from the Isle of the Avatar, and then only near the lost entrance to the dungeon.
: You have it within yourself to find the Isle, my friend. Just look deeply within yourself, and you'll find the island.