Caitlin Elopidat

UP: Britannia

    The fact of the matter is we're still not safe. There is still an evil force, lurking out there in the world of whom we should be deathly afraid. A force of evil so powerful that it's already taken the life of Sage Humbolt, one of the greatest gentlemen of our day and age.

    Am I talking about G'Thunk? The evil Troll chieftan, who along with his brother has wreaked so much havoc in the forest north of Trinsic that locals are starting to call it Troll Forest? Absolutely not.

    G'Thunk is a pawn, and an almost innocent one at that. It's obvious that his brother was the real brains behind the original operation, and in fact you can almost pity both of them for their intentions. They only want what they claim is rightfully theirs, the forest north of Vesper, and they only made threats once humans started moving into that area. While this is still an affront to our sensibility as humans, it's a far cry from the outright evil that Juo'nar committed in an attempt to make himself the new ruler of Britannia.

    No, what I'm talking about is a much greater evil. Something behind the scenes. Someone who was pulling the strings of all the other players in the game. Someone who could control Liches, Trolls, and a maniacal Human. Someone we should certainly be afraid of.

    Think about it, someone who could pull those varied strings, and still keep their names out of the ensuing backlash. Someone who could brilliantly manipulate multiple attacks on three cities at the exact same time. Someone who could keep to the shadows and play the rest of the world like a bard plays a lute.

    Who is this person? Perhaps G'Thunk is our best hope of finding out. Rumors abound that Mondain is returned from the dead, or perhaps the Zog Cabal is more powerful than we originally believed. But I'm afraid there may be something else out there that makes the above two possibilities seem tame in comparison.

Be afraid. I am.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Wednesday, June 10th 1998