Complete History of New Sosaria
This page should be called 'the Incomplete History of New Sosaria'.
Contains spoilers, useless info, plot, things past, present and future, unwritten quests and vague characters.
How New Sosaria Came to Be
Already explained in flowery english here: History of New Sosaria.
In the canon (ie OSI) version of events, Mondain's gem was shattered and destroyed. Each shard of the gem created an alternate picture of Sosaria with its own history and future. New Sosaria that we know in EUO is one of these shards. Its timeline co-exists with the canon history - it could be considered an alternate history or even a parallel universe.
So with the destruction of the gem came the creation of New Sosaria's own timeline, landscape, populace and version of events. The more time passes, the more the emerging history of New Sosaria diverges from the story chronicled in Ultima I-V and beyond.
Landscape
First there was Sosaria, probably not unlike the Sosaria known in Ultima III. There was great upheaval etc, and the land was reformed into Sosaria - what we know as the western hemisphere of New Sosaria today. Tanelorne was yet to be discovered.
Timeline
The 3 digit number number is a year. 000 represents the creation of New Sosaria. (each RL day is 1 month EUO. There are 30 euo years in 1 RL year. Some of these timeline dates correllate directly with events in the creation of EUO)
- with the destruction of the shard of immortality in the Canon-universe, the EUO-verse is created with it's own timeline
- Lord Eggleton arrives through a moongate, befriends Shamino, becomes king (this actually happened before the above, if you can believe that)
- Lord Eggleton defeats Mondain, Minax and Exodus, possibly with help from a 'stranger'
- Kazadoom, the last refuge of the dwarves, is invaded by giants, orcs, and minotaurs, and the dwarves are made extinct
- With the destruction of Exodus and the end of the dark age, the lands are reformed, the moon 'Trammel' is cast out of its orbit, and Sosaria becomes Ye Olde Sosaria
- Kaswell Keep and the New Sosaria Library are completed. Nestor made head librarian.
- Tanelorne discovered (much earlier than in-game time but who's going to know) - the world consisting of Ye Olde Sosaria (renamed to Sosaria West) and Tanelorne collectively known as New Sosaria
- Lord Eggleton steps back through a portal to do the quest of the avatar then comes back (as chronicled in Ultima IV)
- Lord Eggleton decrees that there isn't enough 'virtue' and the shrines are created
- Patrick, Estorrath, Byron and Golwid part ways. Golwid assumes control of Kazadoom (or some of it). Patrick moves to Bakyre (with his fortune). Byron and Estorrath move to Tanelorne.
- The great council of wizards is formed, including Estorrath, Virgil, Henry and others.
- A shrine for the Codex is erected in the far Southeast of New Sosaria on an island, but Lord Eggleton does not yet raise the Codex.
- The Runic alphabet of Old Sosaria is dropped in favour of the English alphabet.
- The lich Xile gets imprisioned in his own underground fortress.
- Lord Eggleton is summoned away again to rescue Lord British (as chronicled in Ultima V) - he is yet to return.
- 004: Lord Broden's Keep is built.
- 009: Patrick elected Mayor of Bakyre.
- 030: Byron assumes control of Tanelorne, making himself a lord.
- 071: the 8 shrines to virtue are finally completed.
Characters
Lord Eggleton
Benevolant ruler or something; currently MIA in the canon-shard on a mission to rescue Lord British from the underworld. Rumour has it that he forgot the sandalwood box, and won't be coming back to New Sosaria any time soon.
Estorrath
Is a retired member of the great council of wizards. Has a rivalry with Nestor of the library.
Is it merely a coincidence that his name bears an uncanny resembelance to that of the Shadowlord of Hatred, Astaroth ?
Old Henry
Esterrath's older brother, likes fishing and isn't as silly as he seems. Another great wizard that was, he knows the cure for lycanthropy.
Lord Byron
Lord of Tanelorne. Wife has died recently and until he gets his bronze statue of her, he remains sad. Has 3 advisors working for him: Shamino the rogue, Virgil the Mage and Greyson the fighter. Used to run with Patrick, Estorrath and Golwid the minotaur king under Kaza.
Virgil
Byron's advisor, mage, once on the council of wizards.
Greyson
Byron's advisor, fighter.
Shamino
Byron's advisor, rogue. This is the same Shamino that Lord Eggleton first met when he stepped through the moongate and into Sosaria for the first time.
Lord Broden
Brother of Lord Byron (hence the same avatar). A player, missing in action. His legacy: an empty keep south of Mirkwood.
This castle needs to be taken over: maybe appropriated by some new overlord upstart of Sosaria west, or by hostiles (to become a hunting ground), or maybe by some friendly political faction.
Nestor the Librarian
Nestor is in charge of the recovery of lost books, but he is probably also cheif librarian. Among other things, he orders the 'recovery' of Estorrath's Journal (for reasons unknown), which contains nothing but recipes for 'dropped pie'. Other books he needs recovery of:
- Chronicles of Nchuleft
- Beyond good and Evil
- Necromancer
- Interview with the Vampire
- Estorrath's Journal
Conrad
Nestor's younger brother and head librarian of the Bakyre Library. While he runs a smaller library than his brother, he has the same fascination with books and is wiser than he lets on. He is looking to recover the following books:
- The Emerging Underworld
Saldath, Zazaram & Titania
In the spirit of the age, a mighty adventuring band set out to explore the newly created / accessible Underworld, to spread the Virtues across the whole of Sosaria. Admidst their number were the mage Zazaram, the warrior Saldath and his bride, the tinker Titianna. They had been at the forefront of clearing the Dungeons of dangerous creatures and pacifying the land. Their leader Saldath had created an order of Paladins and created many Keeps dedicated to the Virtues (eg Thantos Keep). Unfortunately, they discovered a sliver of the Shard of Hatred, guarded by many Balrons, in a fortress deep under the Underworld itself. Saldath, sensing great power in it, kept it, and his lover Titania forged it into an amulet that gave him power over Hellspawn and martial prowess. Determined to use this force for good he and his companions sought to cleanse the Underworld. However, since the sliver is a conduit for the Shadowlords, his nature became slowly more and more extreme and fervent, his rage (which he still thought of as fervour for the Virtues) leading to a genocidal pogrom against all non-humans. His lover, Titianna, slowly became infected with blood lust as well, until she was transformed into a Vampire ... As their pogrom continued, they began to view the unvirtuous (in their now twisted eyes) as beneath human as well, and eventually sought to purge the whole of New Sosaria of those deemed 'unworthy'. Thus began a brief but bloody reign of terror, with many of the old towns levelled.
Although Saldath was finally defeated by Lord Eggleton McEye, his two adventuring comrades escaped, and still lurk amongst New Sosaria, hatching foul plots of revenge!
Lord Percy, Sir Markham, Sir Larant
Members of the order of Paladins founded by Saldath, Thantos Keep is their base in the Mountain Pass. Whilst once a shining beacon of Valor in that part of New Sosaria, rumour has it that it has come under an evil influence - certainly none of the previous messengers or pilgrims seeking it out have returned. Adventurers have been asked to investigate this further, and see what has happen and if possible solve the mystery of what has happened to the keep.
Patrick
The mayor of Bakyre and an ex-adventurer and ex-rogue. Patrick is always willing to listen to the tales of other adventurers and will share a pint most anyone. However, don't be surprised if he tries to swindle you out of some gold in some manner of speaking.
King Golwid
A local Minotaur lord who's taken up residence in the old throne room of the once dwarven capital Kazadoom. He's unseemingly amicable considering his hordes of minions will kill and eat any would be adventurer on sight. Old buds with Patrick, estranged from Byron and Estorrath.
Shadowlords
Astaroth, Falleni and
Although the Sliver of Hatred has been sealed away, the shadowlords are slowly trying to regain the victory they almost won. Although not really manifest yet (in that they can be defeated and temporarily banished by mortals) they are slowly regaining strength.
Lord Percy
Or more formally, Lord Percy Hestle-Weith, he was a member of the famous 'Adventuring Seven' who were explorers based at the University many years ago. Each member would set off each year with a team of graduates to find new wonders. Nothing is known of his current status, other than that he disappeared exploring the deserts of Tanelorne. The University is known to be seeking information about his whereabouts.
Other Big Events
Disappearance of the Dwarves
The dwarves last refuge, Kazadoom, the Dwarven Capital, was overrun by nasties and the dwarves became extinct. The only remnants of the dwarves left in New Sosaria are their nasty green cousins, the gnomes, who are often mistaken for gremlins.
There is a book, Chronicles of Nchuleft, referenced in one of the book quests. This is of course a dwarven book from Morrowind.
Ultima canon, in U3, also had elves, bobbits and fuzzies :X
Goldwid and his merry band of Minotaurs move into the bottom of Kazadoom
The disappearance of the dwarves happened long before Goldwid got into Kaza and started taking over. Infact, I'd be tempted now to convert the lower sections of Kaza into some sort of non-hostile town, rather than just never ending baddies with Golwid in the middle. Golwid is some sort of happy mino and he should be leading by example. Maybe there could be a battleground or frontlines where there are good-aligned mino's spawning, fighting off ettins and the like ... Maybe the Royal Banquet and Meeting Hall could be the place for this neverending spawner battle!
Trammel being cast from its orbit
Happened some time after Exodus was defeated, destroyed, whatever.
The death of everyone in Whalebone
Apparently, according to Jocasta, a small party consisting of Jaana, Sentri and the Avatar gated in. Everyone caught some sort of weird-earth plague and died after the party visited the local brothel. Jaana cursed the mayor so that in death he would live on as a demi liche. Even the cows live on as zombies.
If Lord Eggleton is meant to be the Avatar in the canon version of events, it must be said that Lord Eggleton certainly wasn't a part of this merry band. This Avatar and this party would be from some other twisted shard/reality.
Or the Story/history of snowy Island could be updated/rewritten.
