NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Virtues of Ultima

The Ultima series of computer role-playing games featured a Virtue system that the player was required to follow in the game as the Avatar. These Virtues were inspired in part by the codes of chivalry and the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, and were created specifically for Ultima. Ultima is a series of fantasy computer role-playing games from Origin Systems, Inc. ... Computer role-playing games (CRPGs), often shortened to simply (RPGs), are a type of video or computer game that uses traditional gameplay elements found in pen-and-paper role-playing games. ... (Greek Î±ÏÎµÏ„Î·; Latin virtus) Virtue is moral excellence of a man or a woman. ... The Avatar from Ultima IX: Ascension The Avatar is the main (player) character in the Ultima series of games. ... See also order of chivalry Woman under the Safeguard of Knighthood, allegorical Scene. ... The Noble Eightfold Path, according to Buddhism and as taught by Gautama Buddha, is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Strangely enough, The Wizard of Oz also played a part in the creation of the virtues, with designer Richard Garriott stating at one time that the three companions of Dorothy Gale could be linked to the three principles — Scarecrow (Truth), Tin Woodsman (Love) and Cowardly Lion (Courage). The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ... Richard Garriott in Lord British attire Richard Allen Garriott (born July 4, 1961; nickname Lord British) is a significant figure in the video game industry. ... ... Cover of The Scarecrow of Oz (1915) by L. Frank Baum; illustration by John R. Neill. ... The Tin Woodman or Tin Woodsman, also known in films as Tin Man, is a character in L. Frank Baums Oz books. ... Cover of The Cowardly Lion of Oz (1929) by Ruth Plumly Thompson. ...

1 The Three Principles
2 The Eight Virtues
3 Lord Blackthorn's Code of Virtues
4 The Principles of the Shadowlords
5 The Virtues of Mandrake
6 The Gargoyle Virtues
7 The Ophidian Virtues
8 Triad of Inner Strength
9 Killorn Keep
10 The Anti-Virtues
11 See also

The Three Principles

The Eight Virtues explored in Ultima are based on Three Principles:

Principle	Place associated	Item
Truth	Lycaeum	Book
Love	Empath Abbey	Candle
Courage	Serpent's Hold	Bell

These Principles are themselves derived from the Axiom of Infinity, which is represented in Castle Britannia.

The Eight Virtues

The Principles are combined to form the following Eight Virtues:

Virtue	Principles	Towns associated	Mantra	Player Class	Dungeon	Color	Symbol
Honesty	Pure Truth	Moonglow	Ahm	Mage	Deceit	Blue	Open hand
Compassion	Pure Love	Britain¹, Cove	Mu	Bard	Despise	Yellow	Heart
Valor	Pure Courage	Jhelom	Ra	Fighter	Destard	Red	Sword
Justice	Truth, Love	Yew	Beh	Druid	Wrong	Green	Scales
Sacrifice	Love, Courage	Minoc	Cah	Tinker	Covetous	Orange	Tear
Honor	Truth, Courage	Trinsic	Summ	Paladin	Shame	Purple	Chalice
Spirituality	Truth, Love, and Courage	Skara Brae	Om	Ranger	The Great Stygian Abyss	White	Ankh
Humility	Beyond the three principles	New Magincia²	Lum	Shepherd	Hythloth	Black	Shepherd staff

Notes: Look up Honesty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Honesty, the quality of being honest, is a value which can be defined in multiple ways. ... Compassion (in Pali: Karuna) is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce such suffering; to show special kindness to those who suffer. ... Courage is the ability to confront fear in the face of pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. ... Justice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning to make sacred, from Old Marcus Aurelius and members of the Imperial family offer sacrifice in gratitude for success against Germanic tribes: contemporary bas-relief, Capitoline Museum, Rome French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; sacred + facere, to make) is commonly known as the... Honor (or honor) comprises the reputation, self-perception or moral identity of an individual or of a group. ... Spirituality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Humility is the state of being humble. ...

Britain is the original town of Compassion, Cove is nearest the shrine.
Magincia was destroyed by demons for its Pride (Pride's mantra is Mul). New Magincia, built in its ruins, was founded on Humility.

The Embodiment of the Virtues in the game is the Avatar, the character who the player is roleplaying. He (or she) is commonly seen with an Ankh which represents life and luck. The Avatar from Ultima IX: Ascension The Avatar is the main (player) character in the Ultima series of games. ... The ankh (pronounced ahnk, symbol ) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word , which means life). ...

The Codex Symbol

The relationship between the Principles and Virtues is often explained this way: Symbol of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, properly colored. ... Symbol of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, properly colored. ... The Codex of Ultimate Wisdom is a fictional book in the Ultima series of computer role_playing games. ...

Honesty is respect for Truth
Compassion is Love of others
Valor is Courage to stand up against risks
Justice is Truth, tempered by Love
Sacrifice is Courage to give oneself in name of Love
Honor is Courage to seek and uphold the Truth
Spirituality is to seek Truth, Love and Courage from one's own self and the world around
Humility is the opposite of Pride - the absence of Truth, Love or Courage

Humility is the most difficult Virtue to describe, as it cannot really be understood without its Anti-Virtue, Pride. Pride merely has nothing to do with Truth, Love and Courage; Humility is similar, but it rather than being a complete antithesis, it exists independently of the Principles and acts as their foundation.

See also The Codex Symbol, which explains the relationships between the virtues through colors. The Codex of Ultimate Wisdom is a fictional book in the Ultima series of computer role_playing games. ...

For a similar model applied in contemporary psychology, see Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love. Robert J. Sternberg (8 December 1949-) is the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University and is the former IBM Professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Love. ...

Lord Blackthorn's Code of Virtues

In Ultima V, Lord Blackthorn, the tyrant who ruled in Lord British's absence, codified the Britannian Virtues into a set of draconian laws. Ultima V on the Commodore Amiga Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988) is the fifth part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. ... In the Ultima game series, Lord Blackthorn (also frequently spelled Blackthorne) is a recurring character that first appears in Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988). ... A screenshot of Lord British in his castle from Ultima III. Lord Cantabrigian British is the name of the ruler of Britannia, kingdom of the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his computer game series Ultima. ... Draco is an Athenian law scribe, whose laws were described as Draconian. Draconian (D&D) refers to creatures unique to the Dragonlance fantasy world. ...

Virtue	Law
Honesty	Thou shalt not lie, or thou shalt lose thy tongue.
Compassion	Thou shalt help those in need, or thou shalt suffer the same need.
Valor	Thou shalt fight to the death if challenged, or thou shalt be banished as a coward.
Justice	Thou shalt confess to thy crime and suffer its just punishment, or thou shalt be put to death.
Sacrifice	Thou shalt donate half of thy income to charity, or thou shalt have no income.
Honor	If thou dost lose thine own honour, thou shalt take thine own life.
Spirituality	Thou shalt enforce the laws of virtue, or thou shalt die as a heretic.
Humility	Thou shalt humble thyself to thy superiors, or thou shalt suffer their wrath.

Blackthorn's Code is a good illustration of the fact that the Virtues always come from one's own self rather than the norms of society; codifying ethics into law doesn't automatically make evil people good. Further, unethical lawmakers can take the Virtues and turn them into something that is quite contrary to what Virtues actually stand for.

The Principles of the Shadowlords

In Ultima V, each of the Shadowlords opposed one of the three Principles. Ultima V on the Commodore Amiga Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988) is the fifth part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. ...

Principle	Opposing principle	Shadowlord
Cowardice	Courage	Nosfentor
Hatred	Love	Astaroth
Falsehood	Truth	Faulinei

The Virtues of Mandrake

The joyful Mandrake the bard, in Ultima VI, has his own set of three Principles, which also form eight Virtues. Ultima VI: The False Prophet, released in 1990, is the sixth part in the computer role-playing game series of Ultima. ...

Principle
Wine
Women
Song

Eight of the virtues are derived from these three principles:

Virtue	Principle
Drunkenness	Wine
Sensuality	Women
Harmony	Song
Lust	Wine, Women
Laziness	Wine, Song
Dance	Women, Song
Indulgence	Wine, Women, Song
Happiness	Absence of Wine, Women, Song

The relationships between the Virtues and Principles isn't explained in the game, but the one presented in the table is the only logical deduction that has been made.

Presumably Happiness, just like Humility is to Pride, is the opposite of Sadness.

Somewhat related to this, in Ultima V it is explained that the mantra of eating is "yum". Ultima V on the Commodore Amiga Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988) is the fifth part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. ...

The Gargoyle Virtues

The Virtues of the Gargoyles were first explored in detail in Ultima VI. Ultima VI: The False Prophet, released in 1990, is the sixth part in the computer role-playing game series of Ultima. ...

The Gargoyles have three principles based on Order, and its opposite, Chaos.

Principle	Mantra	Embodiment	Dungeon
Control	UN	Mondain	Shrine of Control
Passion	OR	Minax	Shrine of Passion
Diligence	US	Exodus	Shrine of Diligence

The Gargoyles have eight virtues based on their three principles.

Virtue	Principles
Direction	Control
Feeling	Passion
Persistence	Diligence
Balance	Control, Passion
Achievement	Passion, Diligence
Precision	Control, Diligence
Order	Absence of Control, Passion, Diligence
Singularity	Control, Passion, Diligence

The Ophidian Virtues

The Virtue system of the Ophidians, in Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle, is formed around the following three Principles: Ultima VII is the seventh part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. ...

Principle	Embodiment	Symbols
Order	Blue Serpent of Order	Diamond, Ice
Chaos	Red Serpent of Chaos	Ruby, Fire
Balance	Great Earth Serpent	Earth

In the Ophidian symbology, the Great Earth Serpent is the keeper of Balance, and lies around "in a vertical plane"; the opposing serpents of Chaos and Order wrap themselves around the Great Earth Serpent, each spiralling in a different direction.

The Ophidian system is comprised of six Forces, three from Order and three from Chaos; the Forces of Order are Ethicality, Discipline and Logic, while the Forces of Chaos are Tolerance, Enthusiasm and Emotion. Their descriptions are as follow:

Force	Description	Symbols
Ethicality	The belief that there is great value in abiding by rules of conduct.	A torch
Discipline	The drive to complete a task and avoid the distractions that will prevent its completion.	A dagger
Logic	Clear, reasoned thought, free from any instinctual biases.	The abacus
Tolerance	That which encourages the acceptance of all things.	A chain
Enthusiasm	The energy that allows one to perform great tasks.	A rose
Emotion	The ability to perceive those feelings that come from the heart, as opposed to coming from the mind.	A heart

When combined by pairs, these Forces form the Three Principles of Balance (not to be confused with the three Principles of Order, Balance and Chaos above). The Principles of Balance, their descriptions and relations to the Forces of Order and Chaos are illustrated in the table below:

Principle of Balance	Arises from	Description
Harmony	Ethicality and Tolerance	The ability to be at peace with the self, the individual and the world.
Dedication	Discipline and Enthusiasm	That which permits one to surmount obstacles and lead others.
Rationality	Logic and Emotion	The ability to comprehend life and understand the world around us.

There also exists Anti-Forces associated to the Forces of Order and Balance. These Anti-Forces arise from Imbalance between the Forces, and are essentialy perversions of their corresponding Forces. The Anti-Forces also manifest themselves as a kind of malevolent spiritual being, collectively called the Banes of Order and the Banes of Chaos.

The Anti-Forces (and Banes) are:

Anti-Force	Arises from	Description
Prejudice	Ethicality without Tolerance	Disrespect for the beliefs and rights of others.
Apathy	Discipline without Enthusiasm	A spirit of hopelessness which retards positive action.
Ruthlessness	Logic without Emotion	Taking self-advancing actions without regard to the wants or needs of others.
Anarchy	Tolerance without Ethicality	A lack of standards of conduct.
Wantonness	Enthusiasm without Discipline	Acting without self-restraint.
Insanity	Emotion without Logic	An inability to overcome emotional impulses with rational thoughts.

Triad of Inner Strength

The Fellowship, in Ultima VII, followed the Triad of Inner Strength, consisting of three rules: The Fellowship is a fictional religious organization found in Ultima series of computer games. ...

Strive For Unity
Trust Thy Brother
Worthiness Precedes Reward

Killorn Keep

In Ultima Underworld II, the inhabitants of Killorn Keep -- a parallel universe to Britannia -- observe the Guardian's eight virtues: Ultima Underworld is a series of two computer role playing games published by Origin Systems in the early 1990s. ...

Sobriety
Punctuality
Obedience
Vigilance
Conformity
Efficiency
Silence
Diligence

The Anti-Virtues

As originally posted on The Virtue Knights

The eight Sins, or anti-Virtues, are derived from the three anti-Principles of Falsehood, Hatred and Cowardice. They are formed when the anti-Principles are combined with each other in different constellations.

Anti-Virtue	Description	Derived From	Antihesis	Alignment	Symbol
Deceit	The Deceitful soul uses logic and quick thinking to decieve others for personal gain. A seasoned swindler can profit considerably from his skill, and often has an extraordinary ability to avoid capture or discovery.	Falsehood	Honesty	Order	Insidious face behind jovial mask
Despise	The Spiteful soul has been severely emotionally scarred, resulting in an intense hatred for all life, and an urge to exact vengeance upon anything breathing. They torment people for pleasure.	Hatred	Compassion	Chaos	Double-bladed axe
Dastard	The Dastardly soul never dares to stand up for its beliefs, and it will not do anything that anyone may disagree with, out of fear for the consequences. When noone is around to see them, however, their true nature, whatever that may be, is revealed. NOTE: in Britannia, this anti-Virtue is spelt and pronounced "destard".	Cowardice	Valor	Balance/Neutral	Skull
Wrong	The Wrongful never cares about right or wrong. They never stop to think how their actions may have consequences for others. If following others orders, they will follow these orders blindly and stop at nothing to get the job done. The Wrongful soul may also punish people without just reason.	Falsehood, Hatred	Justice	Balance/Neutral	Unbalanced scales
Covetous	The Covetous soul will never give up anything that belongs to it, no matter how desperate the call might be. It is driven by an intense urge for material profit and will sacrifice the interests of others to please this urge. Unlike Sacrifice, the Virtue which stands for self-Sacrifice, Covetous stands for the sacrificing of others for personal gain.	Hatred, Cowardice	Sacrifice	Chaos	Gold coin
Shame	The Shameful soul can never be trusted, for it will committ treason for personal gain. It will pretend to be a friend, but what it truly wants is information, profit, a strong ally or other personal gain. When its friendship is put to the test, it will abandon you.	Falsehood, Cowardice	Honor	Order	Broken shield
Hyloth	The Hylotheistic soul does not believe in, nor care about the spirit. It believes that only matter exists and matters. For such a soul, there is no reason to ever strive for anything else than personal gain. The hylotheist is strong in its lack of faith and will try to sway others that strive to be honorable from their beliefs and corrupt them into the utter egoists that they themselves are. It is difficult to reason with, because Virtue is hard to motivate, but it often seems to overlook the paradox: if there is no spirit, then what is counsciousness? NOTE: "Hyloth" is short for "hylotheism" which means materialism, but it also has a stronger negative meaning than the word "hylotheism".	Falsehood, Hatred, Cowardice	Spirituality	Balance/Neutral	Rock
Pride	The Proud soul considers itself to be superior to other living beings. It will disregard others' opinions, thinking that it, alone, is capable of valid reasoning. The symptoms of Pride include arrogance, intolerance and egocentricity.	Pride exists independently of the three anti-Principles	Humility	Balance/Neutral	Black sceptre

The anti-Virtues are all equally malevolent, and they rely upon each other to represent Evil.

Contents

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