Ultima IV: Haughty spirits after the fall

In preparation for my next adventure, I restocked on reagents, taking a tour around the moongate network to get the best prices. For $1000 I could buy 45 of everything and still have a decent wad left over for miscellaneous upgrades.

First, I went to Paws by Trinsic, and along the way made sure to give Katrina plenty of opportunities to train experience by delivering coups de grâce on wounded enemies. There, I bought:

• A leather suit for Katrina for $200
  
• 45 ginseng for $180
• 45 garlic for $90
• 45 black pearls for $315
• A horse for $600
  

 

With ginseng and garlic cheap here, I prepared a bunch of awaken and cure spells and bought more, costing another $100. This left me with about $1200.

I took an opportunity to explore the stables here, locked by a door which I previously could not open. A bull attacked; I drove it away, and then had a conversation with Smith, the series' famous talking horse.

This is for P-Tux7

 

Next, I moongated to Verity Bay and my hometown of Moonglow, where I bought:

• 45 sulfurous ash for $90
• 45 spider silk for $135
  

While on this island, I revisited the Lycaeum to visit Nigel, Father Antos, and to explore the locked room, which turned out to be a library.

• Nigel tells me that his spell 'Recall' takes ash, ginseng, garlic, silk, bloodmoss, and mandrake.
  
• Father Antos tells me to seek the Book of Truth in the library.
• The librarian directs me to look under "T." Too bad there's no 'T' here - or is there?
• There is a secret, previously undiscovered treasure room east of the throne room. But there's nothing worthwhile here unless you want to tarnish your honor by stealing their gold (and very likely bring down the Lycaeum's royal guard on you).
  

 

I tried to be clever and search the "T"'s under BRITANNIA, OBSERVATORY, and BETH. No luck - but I found it anyway, hidden in manner somewhat less clever than that.

From here, I went to Jhelom, to explore the locked rooms at the Inn.

Geoffrey desires battle, but won't join yet.

In the other room, Lord Robert questions my cojones and then tells me about the rune.

A secret door in Lord Robert's chambers led somewhere previously seen but inaccessible without violence!

I dispelled the fields and explored this new section of Jhelom, the interior walls surrounding it.

• A mage "Senora" imprisoned in the southwest tower tells me to ask the barkeep about sextants. Way ahead of ya.
• Nostro is found in the northwest tower, and tells me the rune is buried in a tower.
• He follows me around as I search each spot of each tower. I find it in the southeast tower's southeast corner.
  

 

With remarkable luck, after leaving a pirate ship spawned nearby, which I hijacked and took one island south to ascend in Valor. The Blink spell, as I discovered, isn't much good because you can't control how many spaces it takes you.

Next step on the moongate - Magincia.

It took me a lot of healing magic to trudge through this cursed place. I didn't even bother curing the poison while exploring, as I'd just re-poison myself anyway.

The many ghosts here have a lot to say.

• A small ghost haunting the armour shop tells me to speak to Heywood about the mantra.
• Heywood is just up north in the weapons shop and sends me to ask Faultless.
• A ghost names Ruskin wandering near the ruined bridge seeks to learn humility, and tells me to ask the snake of the rune.
• The skeletons in the northeast corner tell me of the shrine of humility - I will need to find a silver horn to pass the demonic guard there. The shrine is on the north bank of the isle of the abyss, and the queen of love's lady in waiting can tell more about the horn.
• The skeletons at the pub have moving stories to tell, but the pertinent information is that I must also speak to the snake about the stone.
• The snake attacks before I get a chance to try to talk to him - I'll need to leave town and come back for another try.
  
• Faultless is behind the counter at the weapons shop, and must be approached directly by entering through the crumbling back; you cannot speak over the counter. He tells me the mantra of pride is MUL - and from that I now know the mantra of humility must be LUM.
  

 

Amazingly, my 45 ginsengs - the common ingredient between cure and healing spells - weren't enough to power me through Magincia completely. I used the last of them to craft curing spells as I left, and it still wasn't enough for everyone suffering from poison. Iolo, who out of them has the most HP, had to do without. The snake will have to wait until next time.

 

Back at Britain, to heal and check in, Katrina instantly gains two levels, and Hawkwind tells me that I am ready to elevate justice.

 

My new and improved world map: