ultima v lazarus - other - pc

7/28/2019 Ultima v Lazarus - Other - PC

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27th day of the 11th month of the year 137

Herein is detailed the odyssey of hisMajesty Lord British as recorded by Remoh,scribe to the court of Lord British. With us onthis journey into the uncharted Underworld

venture the knights Arionis, Meridin, Geraci,Shaana, Noin, and Roin.

Day 1

At dawn, we set off on our skiff down theRiver Maelstrom, east of Spiritwood. Before

the falls, we pause to remember the brave menwho discovered this entrance into the Un-derworld. Then we cast off and repeat theirplunge into the lightless underground water-way. We land our boat on the western shore ofa great lake. The caverns low ceiling hangsclose over us and the humidity is oppressive.

Arionis and Geraci erect a wooden sign

commemorating our expedition. The rest ofus


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repair the damage to our skiff inicted by thesubterranean rapids that carried us here.

We embark again, following a navigablestream south. After a short distance, atributary branches off to the east, but we con-tinue south. The cavern walls now towerabove us, dimly reecting our torchlight.

The current grows stronger and the crashing

sound of tortured water steadily increases.Abruptly, the river turns a sharp bend. Theroar grows painfully loud as our skiff careensdown a great fall. A storage cask breaks looseand knocks Meridin out of the boat during our

fall. The skiff lands ooded, but miraculouslyupright. We drag the unconscious Meridinback into the boat and retrieve the cask. Herevives as we row west, past a southerntributary.

The river slows as we arrive at another fork.We continue north, hugging the water-hewnstone wall on our right. As the river swingsback to the southwest, we hear the sound ofapproaching waterfalls. Quickly we land the

boat on the southern shore. Geraci sets off


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to explore a promising passage through therocks to the southeast. On returning, she re-ports that the natural ssure slopes down-ward steeply, but rejoins the river beyond

the treacherous falls. We portage our skiffaround the falls with little difculty and areonce again on our way. While the day wanesthousands of feet above us, the river emptiesinto a calm lake, stretching out beyond oursight into the murky gloom. We row south by

southeast, following the shore.

A mufed scream, a heavy splash are our rstomens of danger. We all stare at the sternwhere, moments before, the raven haired

knight Shaana sat. Meridin quickly intonestwo words of magic, and the lake around usexplodes in light, blinding us momentarily.We see a hideous ebony creature, twice aslarge as our skiff with Shaana clutched in

one of its slimy tentacles. Already dozens ofyards away, it is retreating ten paces furtherwith every heartbeat.

Lord British strides to the stern and stretcheshis arms toward the receding monstrosity.


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In a voice as clear as crystal, in a tone asurgent as the wind, he speaks seven words.We do not comprehend their meaning, butwe witness their impact. The squid creature

pulls up suddenly. A wrenching noise tearsthrough the dark air. A large wave passesunder our boat. The squid creature has beenvanquished. The light from Meridins spellfades, and new torches are lit to replace thosedropped in panic. Shaana, dragged from the

water, now sleeps at her place upon the boatsstern. Our king rests also, deep in themeditation of the virtues. We row on.

Eventually, at the southern shore of the lake,

we follow the westernmost of two identical-looking streams. We explore several landpassages along the way, but they all prove tobe dead ends. The river turns north, ows ona while, and then perversely turns south. Our

rst days journey ends at this juncture.

Day 2We awaken to a morning as dark as theblackest of nights. Our campre is a damp

mound of cold ashes.


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The underground river has risen in the night,soaking the meager supply of dry wood webrought with us.

Setting out upon the waters again, we rowsouth. Scarcely an hour passes before wecome upon another waterfall, one with noopportunities for portaging around. From thebeach, however, we can see the river resumingonly a few yards beyond the falls. With few

options, we brace ourselves and steer over thefalls. As soon as we are righted, though, thecoursing water turns abruptly and we plungedown another fall. Shaken and bruised, thegroup has barely enough time to secure a rm

grip on the boat before we plunge down athird cascade.

After a brief respite, we pass over a fourth,though smaller falls. Finally, we pass into

a small, tranquil lake. We land on the southshore and examine the area. Though a largessure in the cliff walls provides a land exit tothe south, no navigable waterway leaves thecavern. There is no choice: we shoulder ourremaining provisions and continue on foot

through the ssure. The rough ride over the


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falls has eliminated another option: if we everreturn to Britannia, it will not be by retracingour steps.

The path leaving the cavern is at rst swampyand tedious to walk upon, but the waybecomes easier as we leave the lake behind.Soon the path curves north again and wecome upon a great cavern with an unevenrock ceiling many stories high. We are now

walking on yellow grass-like growth.

A movement by his feet causes Arionis to halt.Before we can draw our weapons, a greatleathery tentacle as thick as a mans leg coils

around Arionis then starts dragging him intoits underground lair. Noin drives his deadlymain gauche into the tentacle. Thick greenuid streams from the severed tentacle as itfalls away. As Arionis stumbles to his feet,he quickly shouts a warning. Noin turns tosever a second tentacle just before it ensnareshim. Movement in the grass from which wehave just come indicates more tentacled mon-strosities approaching. We ee together tothe north side of the cavern, slipping between

rocks into a passage leading away to the east.


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Before long the passage turns and we headsouth again.

At the end of the passage, we nd ourselves ina massive cavern. The walls and ceilingextend beyond the glow of our torches. Wewait in vain for our echoes to return. It isdifcult to fathom a cavern so large it stiesechoes. We turn to the right, hugging thesouthern wall. The stench of a stagnant river

lls the air. As we walk, the mud gives way tosand. When we have left the river milesbehind us, we encamp.

Day 3Ashriek of pain awakens us after only afew hours of sleep. Meridin utters an oathfollowed by two eerie sounds, and a grislyscene is revealed. The knight Geraci is stand-

ing unsteadily, slicing her dagger at six greatworms that swarm around her, rearing up tostrike, while deftly evading her dagger. Herleft arm is held against her chest, in an attemptto staunch the ow of blood from a gaping

wound.


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Lord British raises his staff and utters anincantation. A deep chill descends momentarily,then the six worms forget their prey andassault each other with unreasoned fury.

Meridin magically draws out the wormspoisonous venom. We quickly bind Geracisarm, gather our gear, and resume our journeyeastward along the southern wall. Only twoworms remain writhing in combat as wedepart.

After the wall nally curves to the north, wetake a passage out of the cavern to the north-east. The trail is rocky, and wide enough forthree to walk abreast. The twins, Noin and

Roin, bringing up the rear, are the rst tonotice the large, winged creature with mat-ted, brown fur and sharp, unsheathed tal-ons. When we stop to look, however, it iesoff. Half an hour later, we notice two of these

creatures, but both y off again as we turn. Anhour later, three of these ugly creaturesapproach, ying closer than the previousforays dared, before veering off. We quickenour pace.

The passage empties into a large grassy area


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with a high, earthen ceiling.

As we stop to rest, a deafening crescendo ofscreeches heralds the invasion of a dozenwinged monsters. The avian terrors attackin force. Armour and skin is ripped from ourbacks. Our swords swing, our daggers y,but to no avail. Only two winged monstersare wounded then nished. The remaining tencircle us furiously as Lord British shouts out

words of mystic command.

Four more attackers are destroyed, but manymore of our party have fallen.

As I ght, I see Meridin from the corner of myeye. He crawls out of the fray and raises hisarms. Before he falls, he gasps four words.A great ame breaks out between his out-stretched arms and surges forward. One byone, the last of the nightmarish creatures isconsumed with ame. The largest bat spiralsto the ground.

Its burning carcass crashes next to Meridinscorpse a memorial re to our great archmage.


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Day 4Today, the three of us remaining buried thevaliant knights Arionis, Meridin, Geraci, Noin,and Roin, here upon the underground battle-eld where they fell. Tomorrow we shall seekour way back to our own world; our disastrousquest here is nished.

Day 5

The wraiths came this morning. Therewere three of them. They walked through the

stone. Their blackness was deeper than theshadows from which they emerged. Advancingtowards Lord British, they ignored Shaana andmyself. Lord British held their gazes,murmuring words of life, healing, and protec-

tion. Still they advanced. One raised its hand,pointing at our lord. Then a silver bolt struckour immortal king and he fell to the stonyearth.

Shaana was frozen, transxed. I stumbled for-ward, but when I touched that cloak, I shrank


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back. Foreboding washed over me. They tookour lord with them. I was powerless to stopthem. Im afraid we all are.

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