Roanen Oakwood

UP : Britannia

    For many years I hath lived the life of a Ranger, travelling the realm of Britannia with bow in hand, making my living from the land itself. Unfortunately, I find this to be a difficult task these days. The reason? Houses.

    There was a time when one could live off the deer and rabbits that roamed the woods near Britain, or the plains near Skara Brae. Now, tis impossible to swing a beheaded ogre without hitting the door of someone's loving abode, or the castle belonging to some guild or other.

    The worst part is, many of these homes are deserted! Their builders rushing off at the first sign of a large clearing where a new and bigger home can be built. The desert itself is little more than a suburb of Britain, what with a new house or smithy every dozen or so steps.

    I beg of you, citizens of Britannia, those of us who live off the land need land to live off of! This may be a fine situation for those of you city bred folks who consider yourself "educated" because you've read every book in the local library. But for us woodsmen, trackers, hunters, and rangers, there is little left for us but collecting the arrows from the sides of your houses where they've stuck as we fire aimlessly at fleeing animals.

    The animals themselves are another concern to me. I hear grumblings from all walks of life about how game is so sparse in the woods these days. I tell you friends, the reason is this: deer can't exist in a neighborhood of smiths, tailor shops, large homes, castles, and keeps. They must have open ground to feed and breed. They have it no more.

    I look forward to the day when Lord British will demand a tax for every home that a citizen owns. Perhaps then some of these houses will be demolished, and our precious land will once again bear the likeness of it's namesake: Wilderness.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Monday, March 9th 1998