The Game World

The game world is known as the Kingdom of Britannia, ruled by wise Lord British. This is a fantasy gameworld, and humans co-exists with the orcs, the ettins, dragons, trolls, ghosts, liches and many more. in britannia there are 13 major towns, and some smaller villages. the capitol of britannia is britain, where you also can find lord british's castle. you will find more info about the towns in the geography section, where you find lots of info about the geography of Britannia, about Moongates etc.

Lord British

Now some people may ask themself:
'Why do they call him Lord British, and the world for Britannia?'
I also did once. For all those who don't know, and want to know, here is the story about Lord British and Sosaria, which became Britannia!

Lord British, Sosaria and Britannia.

L ong before the ascendancy to power of Lord British, Sosaria, as it then was known, was made up of numerous city-states. The eight largest and most enduring of these are today the major towns in Britannia. Each city state had its own ruler and laws. However, constant bickering for power and resources, meant that the smaller states often fell prey to the aggressions of the larger.

The Crossing

D uring this time, in another world, an idealistic youth was growing discouraged. All around him, he saw people pursuing personal wealth and power. Where were the heroes fighting for justice and prosperity of people? Was there no leader willing to seek the way to a better world for everyone?
The youth took to spending his days roaming the hills. One autumn day, he came upon a rock-bordered clearing surrounded by towering oaks. From a bed of dry leaves, the glint of metal caught his eye. It was a silver medallion in the shape of a great serpent. In his hand, the medallion felt unusaully warm.
Suddenly a line of blue light rose up from the leaves, expanding into a door of light. The youth stared, astonished, then stepped through.
The door disappeared and autumn with it. Green fields now surrounded the youth. Feeling the medallion still in his hand, the youth slipped it into his pocket. He detected a whisp of smoke rising above a grove of trees in the distance, and he headed toward it. There he surprised a slender, blond man chopping wood. As the man looked up, the axe struck the wood awkwardly, glanced off, and opened a gash in his leg. The youth rushed forward to help but the man put his hand up. Concentration replaced the pain that had flashed across his face. He knelt, touching his injured leg with one hand, tracing intricate patterns in the air with his other, and softly murmured. The bleeding stopped. The man stood up, brushing wood chips from his clothes. He smiled broadly at the youth's amazement, then spoke with a deep voice. "Aye mek mye leg feelle na panne, and ayee haellede it, too. Aye ought ha' kwit myne axynge. But aye dinna ken thou'rt icumen." The youth's eyes grew huge. He actually understood this strange, new language. "But how did you heal your leg?" The man's eyes twinkled. "Why, 'tis th' simplest of spelles. Nay?" The man's name was Shamino. That night, the youth stayed in Shamino's house. The youth told Shamino about the land from which he came. Shamino could not fathom such a land, but believed the lad was sincere and telling the truth. "What again was the name of thy birthplace?" "Cambridge," the youth replied, "in the British Isles." Shamino thought for a minute, "I like that. I shall call thee British."
The youth laughed, but accepted his new name. Initially, British looked diligently for a way to return to his homeland, but over time his need to return to his own people lessened. It was only after he gave up looking for a way back that he discovered one. British made the journey several time s. In fact, it's believed he brought back close friends to dwell with him in his chosen world -- Iolo the Bard and the knight Dupre are almost certainly his landsmen. Among the evidence of this is the aging process. It appears that a decade in our world is equivalent to a single year in the homeland of British. He and his countrymen age at one tenth the rate at which we age. Through the years, British's deeds demonstrated wisdom and bravery. As respect for him grew, British became leader of a region of Sosaria including many city-states, and was awarded the title Lord British.

The First Age of Darkness.

A t the time British arrived at Shamino's, a native lad was growing up in Sosaria, being trained in the ways of sorcery. He was a moody youth, given to sudden rages and fits of despondency. To offset the latter, he would take his dagger into the woods and hunt, leaving his prey to rot where they fell. He would return to his manor restored, strong in the confirmation of his power over life and death. His name was Mondain, and Mondain's strange ways were a constant worry to his father, a busy, much respected mage. When Mondain was fifteen, his father took a stand. "Thou shalt take a year off from magic, Mondain," his father said, "to improve thine attitudes and develop thy virtues. I have arranged for thee to live with the brothers in the abbey, where thou shalt practice compassion and humility. "Learn thy lessons well, my son, and this ruby gem, which harnesses the power of the sun, shall be thine." Mondain said nothing. The next night he slew his father and took the gem, for he was ready for power and his father was in the way. At the same time Lord British was gaining a reputation for fair and honest government in his provinces and attracting attention for his startlingly innovative ideas, Mondain was using his father's gem against itself to produce a black jewel that would render him and his evil immortal. Success meant gaining an even greater power over the evil minions of darkness. As terrors wrought by Mondain caused increasing unrest and dismay across Sosaria, British's ideas for unity of the city-states became more and more appealing. But the time was not quite ripe, for the widespread evil was beginning to take a tremendous toll. Something new was needed, though British. He absently reached for the silver serpent he wore about his neck. Touching it in contemplation, he envisioned the kind of hero Sosaria needed to deal with Mondain. Within days, a stranger arrived in Sosaria. With utter devotion to truth and good, the stranger grew into a hero capable of facing Mondain. Eventually, the heroic stranger found the malevolent gem and destroyed it, along with its creator. With Mondain's destruction, the forces of evil began to wane.

The Second Age of Darkness.

B ut good was not to rise victorious for long. Mondain's apprentice in sorcery was a beautiful young woman. Underestimated because of her youth, Minax was furious at the defeat of Mondain and at the destruction of the gem, whose existence she had surmised, and which she had intended to study and replicate for herself. Setting her fury aside, Minax decided to take control of the evils of the world without the gem. She succeeded. Through her network of beasts and her own frightening power, she rained evil upon the world. Again Lord British sent out the call for a hero. Again, a stranger appeared. Again the evil was hunted down and destroyed. And with the destruction of Minax, this stranger was able to alter the future of the world from destruction to peace.

The Third Age of Darkness.

D ecades passed in relative peace. Good leaders of the city-states turned more and more to Lord British for guidance, and Sosaria became a united land under his rule. Then, one day, a sailor reported to Lord British the appearance of a hitherto unknown island, fiery and emanating terrifying evil. Scouts began reporting malevolent occurrences that seemed to be the work of a great evil mind. Once more, Lord British sent out the call. This time, four strangers appeared. They survived the horrors of great dungeons and, with the help of the mystical timelord, the heroes found the secret island fortress of Exodus, the only progeny of Mondain and Minax, and annihilated it. The Triad of Evil was destroyed, and great celebration ensued. In honor of the day, they called the new world Britannia.

The End

Remember, some of this might have never happened in Ultima Online, as it is played in a paralell dimension to Britannia.