Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Halister Marner]

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The Atlantic History Thread

Atlantic's Unique Locations - By Seer Nikademus


Felucca:


* Vesper Museum - Home of old event items. (58o 11'N, 112o 17'E)

* Wedding Spot - Near Yew falls. (91o 19'N, 0o 8'E)

* A Moss Covered Sticky Rock - Occlo, origin unknown. (100o 38'S, 169o 14'E)

* Marble Tiles & Columns - Marble tiles set in a square, with four columns and two lit braziers. Three of the columns say "Only When the Braziers Alight Shall the Temple Come to Life". Origin unknown. (34o 53'N, 8o 34'E)

* Robert Brisco Memorial - North of Wrong, flowers surround a torch and tombstone. The torch says "In loving memory of Robert Brisco, who brightened every world he touched." The tombstone says "Thy Flame Burns Ever On. B 6/19/58 - D. 5/20/98". (140o 37'N, 55o 28'E)

* Christine & Flint Memorial - West of Britain Swamps - They were married in UO, and in RL, and ran a large guild. Supposedly one of them left the game, and the other one followed because it wasn't the same for them. Plaque there says "Together Though Separate, Bound Beyond Life, Friend and Companion, Their Love Will Not End". Tombstones say "In Memory of Christine" & "In Memory of Flint". Moving to a certain spot on each platform teleports you across a small pond to the other platform. (49o 2'N, 40o 13'E)

* A Stone with a Flame Trapped Inside - Stone in Yew's orc fort, tied somehow to the ettin, Tilf & Gilf. (12o 49'N, 48o 26'W)

* Home of Gregory & Coryn Ironhand - Jhelom - Another former Seer home, full of unique items: Jade bust of Theros Brightstar, a mechanical looking dragon, a book "Automatons and Mechanical Marvels", "a strange wooden contraption", "in celebration of 50 years of service" plaque, a portrait of Coryn Ironhand. (177o 58'S, 10o 41'W)

* Grave of Coryn Ironhand - Jhelom graveyard - "Coryn Ironhand - May She Rest in Peace" - Seer event remains (no pun intended). (173o 20'N, 2o 48'W)

* Cromwell Estate - Nujel'm - Home of former Seer character, Jordan Cromwell. Lots of interesting items, especially a magical crystal & massage table. (42o 53'N, 172o 41'E)

* Locked Fort - South of Destard in the swamp. This was a Seer event location as well. Saying "payment" at the locked door will teleport you inside. (117o 9'S, 4o 21'W)

* The Arena - located on Isle of the Avatar, this was used for mage battles. A red moongate outside the arena leads to the outside of the Atlantic Mage Tower, while saying "roclaf" from within the arena teleports you to the roof of the AMT. "roclaf" is backwards for "falcor", who was the Seer that played the character Norab, the AMT's sponsor. There's another sign within the arena that says "This Arena Is Reserved For Seer Event. Thank You. Have A Good Day." There is a locked down communication crystal outside the arena, which was used to announce fights. (149o 56'S, 126o 38'W)

* Seer House in Trinsic - Red's Curious Goods building. One of the first Seer locations, it's mostly been cleared out. However, there are a few unique items here. A tree stump with an axe is outside the door. Inside, you will find more place settings at the table, a chest and spinning wheel in the back room, and crafting tools in the last room. (106o 41'S, 37o 11'E)

* Tomb of Adrick Moonstar - Large Crypt, Nujel'm cemetery. Coffin with flowers around it. "Here Lies Adrick Moonstar, House Magi" Two other shards have similar tombs. Pacific has a tomb for "Galleus Kahns", while Chesapeake has one for "Lord Thalis." (43o 9'N, 154o 53'E)


Trammel:


* The Adventurer's Guild - The New World Order building in Minoc. Origins unknown. Decorative armor outside the building, some extra tables, fireplace and thrones inside. (103o 58'N, 81o 42'E)

* Red Dragon & White Wyrm Heads - Created by Sannio for the Skara Brae Community Center (heads can be found elsewhere, but these are unique in the Community Centers). (45o 47'S, 49O 30'W)

* Music Stands - Bardic Guild Hall, Nujel'm. Has four music stands instead of the standard three. Each of the music stands say: "3. Music Stand: I'm Using One Right Now, But Can't Even Find One When I Need It...". Pacific is the only other shard to have something similar. It has the standard three stands, but they say: "3. Music Stand: This Clue is Mightier Than The Sword..." (38o 8'N, 169o 48'E)

* Decorative Armor - Large Crypt, Nujel'm cemetery. There are two extra decorative armors in the crypt. All four say: "6. Armor: Add The Number Of Letters In The Name Of Each Clue You've Found To Win!". Pacific is the only other shard to have something similar, saying: "6. Armor: Add Together The Number Of Letters In Each Of The Clues To Get Your Answer..." (43o 9'N, 154o 53'E)


Player/Guild Establishments:


* United Blacksmiths of Britannia - Britain's Blacksmith Guild building in Felucca. Once the premier location for blacksmiths, the building was made into UBB's guild hall. Features exterior decoration, and more smithing items than other Blacksmith buildings on other shards. The upstairs has a display case showing pieces of armor made by the founding members of UBB. (13o 32'S, 2o 44'E - Felucca)

* The Atlantic Museum - Two towers on the southern tip of Dagger Isle Felucca, home of many unique & rare items on display for all to see. (78o 34'N, 152o 14'W - Felucca)

* Atlantic Mage Tower - The Tower southwest of the Lycaeum in Felucca. Once the main location for magic users on Atlantic, full of magical effects and items. Several interesting features here including a red moongate south of the tower that transports you outside the arena on Isle of the Avatar. On the roof of the tower is a stone column with flames coming out of it, called "The Eternal Flame of Mages". Saying "setra" on the roof will transport you inside the arena on Isle of the Avatar. (49o 50'N, 151o 49'W - Felucca)

* Rivendell - Built by the late Zym Dragon, Rivendell hosts a player run tavern with several additional township buildings situated west of Felucca Britain. (26o 48’S 6o 53’W - Felucca)

* Serpent's Cross Tavern - Owned and operated by Perianwyr, Serpent's Cross Tavern is perhaps the only player run building that has stood the test of time, never collapsing, always standing as a testimate to Atlantic's history. It is located east of Felucca Yew. (93o 53’N 23o 37’W - Felucca)

* West Yew University (Player Establishment) - Felucca. Once possibly the most influential player group on Atlantic, this group of people helped train new users in all manners of UO play long before there were companions or other programs. As such, they received quite a few things to aid them in their work:

* WYU Boat Transport - Felucca. At the end of the road is a sign and boat. The sign reads: "to cross the river, step onto the boat and say, 'I would like to cross.'" Takes you from (35o 14'N, 58o 21'W - Felucca) to (36o 12'N, 63o 33'W - Felucca) and back.

* Tree of Knowledge - Felucca. Used to be a silver tree within WYU, placed when the original person who ran WYU, Silver Dryad, departed. Still has it's name. (36o 44'N, 66o 9'W - Felucca)

* WYU Headquarters - Felucca. Just outside the guard zone, this small house had a hedge placed around a small courtyard. (31o 27'N, 64o 53'W - Felucca)

* WYU Building - Felucca. Yew Farmhouse, converted to a school house. Outside is decorated like a stables. Inside, additional books lie scattered on tables. A guildstone for the "House of Desires" resides in the building. (34o 58'N, 64o 45'W - Felucca)

* WYU Magic & Tailoring Wing - Felucca. Yew Farmhouse. The first part of the interior was converted into a magic training area. The back room was made into a tailor training area, full of tailoring equipment. Outside the building, combat and pickpocket dummies allowed fighter and thief training. (33o 23'N, 69o 15'W - Felucca)

* WYU Smithing Area - Felucca. Located one screen west of the WYU HQ, this small area was added to train smiths. (31o 38'N, 65o 52'W - Felucca)


Other Locations:


By Aalia of Winterbreeze, Andrasta of Goodmans, and Lord Goodman himself.

An updated list of Atlantic's Unique Locations, including screenshots, can be found at this address.

[Halister Marner]

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GreyPawn's Comprehensive History of the Atlantic Shard


I cannot in all honesty provide you, the reader, with a complete and utterly comprehensive history of what has occurred on the Atlantic shard as I am limited by the field of my personal direct or indirect observation. I cannot tell you what happened with any great certainty on the shard before I came to it in May, 1999. But I will tell you what I’ve seen and what I know of the shard, to the extent of my ability to do so with any semblance of brevity.


Welcome to a New World


The Atlantic Mage Tower

This was the first thing I encountered on the shard, still being new to things. Atlantic Mage Tower was a tower on Moonglow, having been moved by a GM from a plot in Trinsic to its location and twice blessed. The Tower possessed a large brick behind it to which it had teleporter access, called the Annex. The purpose of the Tower was to train newbies and help them excel in Sosaria. The annex, which was at times disputed primarily by Lord Gregor of Moonglow, was a vendor venue where the members of the Tower could sell their goods. The Atlantic Mage Tower is most renowned for its final event, a huge shard-wide Grand Tournament for which a tournament ring was created on Fire Island with an adjoining area for spectators equipped with a red moongate for travel. The AMT was lead by the red-clad Tiffric, who pioneered the Mage Tower project across the shards, landing Towers on Chesapeake, Lake Superior, Catskills, Baja, Drachenfels and Great Lakes. AMT’s claim to fame was one of the first UO Comics drawn with its namesake attached, but dubbed “Another Mad Tower” which told the story of the tower and the crazy antics of those who attempted to thwart its membership.

Among those immortalized in the comics were Ibn Shaun, Elizabeth, Tiffric, Nick-of-Time, Wieland, Ra, and Designer Dragon. After the Tournament, Tiffric fell to health problems and infrequently visited the tower, which eventually fell to atrophy after his passing in 2004. Aldroud Claven, who later became Grishnak of the Stormreaver Orcs, was a member of AMT and attempted to revive other incarnations of the guild on the road south to Trinsic.


The West Yew University

The WYU occupies a better portion of West Yew, a ferry having been created to usher students and faculty across the water to it. WYU was among the foremost notable schools to indoctrinate and assist newcomers to Britannia, aiding those who chose the northwest as home and refuge. Some of its more notable teachers were Silver Dryad (immortalized in the form of a tree) and Krythan. At its height, there were 5 full time teachers teaching a full spectrum of students how to survive in the harsh world of early UO. WYU was blessed early on for its efforts in boosting player knowledge. The Seeker guild, a wisp-oriented guild with a tower close to WYU eventually merged with the University at the occurrence of Silver Dryad’s departure. Many of those who would eventually become militia in the Yew Town Council studied at West Yew University.


Eternal Dreams University

EDU was a University liken to WYU, but formed within the city limits of Rivendell, a player run city southwest of Britain situated on the farms of what could be considered Paws. Having a limited staff, EDU often borrowed from the staff of WYU and local pillars of the community to inform and educate its students. Most of its doctrine was roleplay based, as was WYU’s, but EDU’s focused more on the survivalist side. A greater number of individuals who would later become influential in Atlantic’s community attended EDU.


Survival of the Fittest (or Fastest)

Early on in Atlantic’s history, the rules governing the physics of Ultima Online were much harsher to the everyday inhabitant. Houses had limited lockdowns and keys to both houses and boats were a thing valued highest. A thief who got hold of a house key and a house rune could empty you of all your worldly possessions in under a few minutes. Pking was quite a common thing too, as the world consisted wholly of Felucca, though prettier than its current state. Anytime one ventured out of the protective coverage of the guards, they were up for grabs in a pker’s eyes. This put a great deal of hardship on resource gathering, and the economy had not yet experienced the gluts in resources and gold that it later would come to see. Miners had to gather in packs for protection, often bartering in ingots for their lives with pkers. Life for many was a competition. PvP coalesced into guilds of the like-minded, which either hunted each other or non-consensual prey for fun and profit. Most notable among the “hubs” of PvP interaction was the Britain Graveyard during server down, outside pretty much any city’s gates and the Britain Crossroads. The latter was so popular, eventually a news organization adopted the name. The advent of Order vs. Chaos turned almost every populous city into a war zone, city-fighting and house-fighting were not uncommon in those days.


Guilds and Places of Note

As far back as I can remember, player guilds have stood at the forefront of progress and been the very building blocks of what the Atlantic community has been. After players became acclimatized to the surroundings and familiar enough with how the shard worked, they sought to pursue a goal, usually within the confines of a guild. Alignment and player type had a lot to do with which guild you joined. If you were a PvPer, you probably wouldn’t join an Rper guild. And vice-versa. Though back then, the Seers did their level best to make that distinction as blurry as possible with open-ended events.


The Order of the Ebon Skull

Probably the most prolific of the roleplaying guilds on Atlantic, the Order of the Ebon Skull was one of the few evil roleplaying guilds in the game, let alone on the shard. Founded by Azalin the Lich Lord, the guild grew to respectable size early on, but its main claim to fame was its deep lore and roleplay ethic. It pioneered In Character interactions on Atlantic and presented a grand antagonist for multitudes of good-aligned guilds. Eventually situated in the frozen north of Ice Isle, the OES held Black Mass in their Temple of Oblivion, conducted by the High Priest Bal-Anon Dak. The OES settlement in north ice isle eventually became known as Caina after the city was officially founded. OES represented to many early roleplayers all that was evil and bad in the world and would be the focal point for many wars.


The Lost Order of Akalabeth

The LOA was a guild massive in number that situated themselves in Yew early on in the game, having formed during the UO beta test and resolved themselves to excel. L-Guild, which eventually adopted the name of “Lost Order of Akalabeth” in honor of the first of the Ultima games, founded LOA Village in a clearing near Yew and was actually visited once by Lord British, Richard Garriott, an event I had the pleasure to take part in. The Lost Order was a mix-match of all sorts of players, PvPers as well as Rpers, and their guild master Brimstone’s contributions to guild systems and guildmastery philosophy became well known. LOA found themselves often involved in as much as possible, adopting somewhat of a “thumb in every pie” policy towards Atlantic, which saw the benefits of an early well organized good-aligned guild in LOA. Early roleplay wars between LOA and OES were the foundation of the creation of many warring rules set forth beforehand with warring guilds today. LOA Village was blessed with pear trees and hedges for its continued excellence early on in the shard’s history.


Rivendell

Rivendell was, situated closest to the largest city in-game, one of the most active areas of interest early on. Blessed soon after official organization of itself as a city, the Hungry Hafling Tavern saw itself in direct competition with Serpent Cross Tavern at times through the history of Atlantic. Founded by Zym Dragon and Kallel in October of ‘97, the city grew to respectable size in a time where player-run cities were all but required for mutual survival. Rivendell was host to Eternal Dreams University, the city being situated on the cusp of a guard zone aided in the survivability of its citizens, but made them desirable targets for player killers. Rivendell’s history centers around the Hungry Hafling Tavern, where, in the fourth and fifth year of UO, Seers frequented often and provided quests on a quasi-predictable weekly schedule, which drew players from all over. Among Rivendell’s famed residents are Miss Amy, Beowulf, Craig and his mongbat, and Boo.


Yew Town Council

The city of Yew had since early times, been the apex of action in-game. The Yew Town Council was formed early on by a coalition of like-minded players, founded by Yew’s first mayor, Helgi Einarson and perpetuated through the years by SunWolf, Gargish Dragon, Krythan, Windlord and others. The YTC and its Militia served as the model for later Town Councils, such as Moonglow Town Council and Trinsic Town Council. Yew typically stood as a protagonist against the forces of darkness, whether they be in the form of the Order of the Ebon Skull or years later, the Orcs.

Yew, in the past, has served as a testing grounds for many of the social experiments in the roleplayer community, being the prime target for the Territorial War Project and participating in epic wars too numerous to list.


Serpent Cross Tavern

This patio tavern has stood at ground zero of some of the greatest epics and events that have occurred in the shard’s history. A hotbed of roleplay and pvp in its heyday, the Serpent Cross Tavern, founded by Perianwyr Stormcrow still stands in its clearing in Yew, surrounded by buildings that later became incorporated as Fogwood Village. Neutrality in a place with so much action was enforced by the barkeeps of the SCT, its very name standing as a symbol. Serpent Cross, over the years, saw its barstools and dining room as host to literally thousands of plotlines and brainstorms, verbal exchanges and debates about ideas and concepts which would fall to nothing or later come to fruition in the form of new guilds. For most of the first four years of the shard’s history, roleplay was centered around this tavern in the woods.


The Cult of Infernal Necromancy

I would be remiss if I did not include in this synopsis of history at least a brief description of the Cult of Infernal Necromancy. Founded by a necromancer who was a necromancer before necromancy was Necromancy, Smogg Azalin built a tower in the Fens of the Dead near Trinsic and dubbed home to a guild of cultists. Reknowned for its involvement in kidnappings and intrigue, the Cult was the basic bread & butter antagonist through the years. Among its more famous exploits is the deep interaction it had with Juo’Nar during the Trinsic Occupation. No other guild worked harder and did more to further the aims of evil during the invasion than did [Ncr].


The Awakening, The Regency, and the TWP

While each of the above titled are completely different animals, I will summarize each here for the purpose of brevity in what would otherwise be an exhaustive primer. The Awakening was a religious movement focused on the Virtues of Ultima, built by Aleph Aeirs of 2ST, Rainbow King, a famous tamer, and Azrielle. Created for the sole purpose of the promulgation of the Virtues, the Awakening spawned a number of guilds and plotlines as it networked the “guilds of light” together, among them, what would later become my guild, Moonglow Town Council. The Regency, which was borne simultaneously with the Territorial War Project or “TWP” was a solution the lightbringer guilds created to answer the question of an absent Lord British. Dayel Stormcrow, one of the few actually knighted by Lord British, was made Regent of a coalition of good-aligned guilds and given the perceived power of King of Britannia in Lord British’s absence.

The TWP was a vast project which sought to redefine the way wars took place and were decided. A map of Sosaria was divided into sections and guilds could lay claim to each section if it had vested interest or if it conquered it from another. The TWP experienced wide success in drumming up interest but soon fell to petty squabbling and became mired in bureaucracy.


Unter Brae and the Temple of the Avatar

Early on in the game, blessings were handed out like so much candy. The result was lasting and indelible marks on the surroundings of the area which was blessed. Pretty much any place with a weekly dose of civil activity and a penchant for social interaction could, if they tried hard enough, get blessed. Unter Brae and The Temple of the Avatar was one of those places. Originally home to a monk-like guild of Virtue representatives, the Temple of the Avatar stood as the centerpiece for the player-run city of Unter Brae, right across the docks from Skara. The Temple and town were run by a priest by the name of Inia Geofrensis. The Temple saw a respectable amount of use in its time; at least three dozen sermons were held in its halls before its demise sometime in 2001.


The Procession of Grand Occurrences

I’ve chosen to name the sections of time when quests occurred after the foremost Seer or Event Moderator on Atlantic, in honor of their contribution to the shard’s rich history and the lasting impressions they have made, and to help divide and frame the time for purposes of composition.


The Time of Nikademus

Unfortunately, I do not have all the historical documents necessary to make a valid synopsis of what occurred in the time before I came to the shard. Two years had passed already and Stratics was still in its infancy, so records of events and fiction that happened before were splotchy at best, and most of the accounts were word-of-mouth. A basic outline of the events that occurred across all shards which affected them each deeply and introduced The Second Age can be found here .
On Atlantic, three great heroes were named from the epic quest, the battle against the Followers of Armageddon (FOA for short) and its leaders, Junin Pince, Zendella Kxris and Martoo Saul. Rainbow King, Dayel Stormcrow, and Hagbard each received the highest honors and individual recognition from Lord British himself, as well as a real life certificate commemorating their strength in rallying the people of Atlantic to fight the great threat. A multitude of quests punctuate this time in the first two years of life on Atlantic, each more epic than the next.

During this period, the largest and oldest guilds were formed; Mercs, AoD, Covetous Crew, SSJ, Regulators and the Trinsic Borrowers were some of the more renowned ones that made their mark early on in both the PvP and roleplay communities. Leiah’s Rune Library was founded in what would later become Elysium.


The Time of Magdalena

In this era, which began at around the opening of the Lost Lands and ended sometime shortly before the advent of Claudia Raym, most of the roleplayer guilds congealed and began to firmly plant their roots, as well as their PvP-centric counterparts. Arx Draconis officially became a city and Wintermoor on ice isle was born from the ashes of Eldanor. Caina also began to coalesce, and many of the schools mentioned in the beginning of this guide went through massive growth spurts. Serpent Cross Tavern became “the place to be” as it was often frequented by RPCs and quests. Most notably illustrated with the Westmark project, an experiment in Nujel’m in using what were to become Troubadours in a dynasty riddled with intrigue, the Time of Magdelena saw a marked increase in the amount of information that came to the players as secrets and statistics about the game world started to become revealed.

This poignant time in the shard’s history was witness to the most growth in terms of players and guilds. Order vs. Chaos became a staple in PvP circles, turning many populated cities into war zones. Reputation had finally come to effect in full swing and pkers found themselves more and more outnumbered, coalescing into larger guilds of reds like SSJ and Covetous Crew. Norab the Mage from Magincia made his rounds, Tranth the wandering dragon and Jordon Cromwell make appearances during this time as well. Also notable during this time was the “Wizard of Oz” play organized on Atlantic and held across North American shards. The player cities of Dalriada and Elysium rose during this time, east of Arx Draconis and northeast of Trinsic, respectively. Holy Disciples of Darkness, lead by Navrip joined the ranks of growing evil guilds on the shard. Clan Moor began its long residence in Yew, Knights of Sosaria and Order of the Silver Serpent were also founded during this time.

Resource gathering truly began in earnest during this period of Atlantic’s history. Grandmaster Smiths and Carpenters were uncommon at best, and UBB came into being, eventually taking up blessed residence at the West Britain Blacksmithy. GM tinkers were greatly desired and many a poor fool opened a baited box trapped with almost always fatal deadly poison.

[Halister Marner]

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GreyPawn's Comprehensive History of the Atlantic Shard (cont.)

The Time of Narcissus

The arrival of Seer Narcissus on Atlantic was one, which was at first felt small in scope, but expanded to encompass most of the attentive public at one point in time. A rich plot followed the events created by Seer Narcissus, deep in fiction and establishing a new generation of legends. An epic tale was told through a series of about two dozen events focusing around the abandoned girl that had been adopted by a Dragon, Claudia Raym and her rallying of the forces of good to rid the shard of the demon Phakebrus who had possessed an individual named Aragothias.

Claudia was adopted in spirit by the three men who found her wandering through the woods one day, Rictar, SunWolf of Yew, and myself. The end of the eventful era of Narcissus happened at the stable of Serpent Cross Tavern, shortly after an epic battle of good versus evil at Wrong entrance culminated in the overthrow and exile of Phakebrus.


The Time of Oberon

New blood had come to Atlantic. The impact of the FOA quests lessened, the influence of Magdalena and Narcissus waned and a new group of storytellers took to the Atlantic scene. The Troubadour experiment was an apparent success, and Atlantic enjoyed a glut of events and content. BNN was giving reports in RealAudio. Trinsic had been invaded by Juo’Nar and Minax was corrupting the shrines and invading. The shard stood on the cusp of what would be called UO: Renaissance. By this point in the shard’s history, most of the earlier schools had atrophied and fallen to inactivity. The learning curve was getting less and less steep and players weren’t as hesitant to leave the protection of the guards. Guild numbers in most guilds reached all time highs and the roleplay community’s social center shifted gradually from the Serpent Cross to The Hungry Hafling in Rivendell.

The story of the invasion of Trinsic is well known across all shards and is simultaneously considered the most famous and infamous of events in UO’s history by many. NCR and several of the evil-aligned guilds on Atlantic aided Juo’Nar in his bid for control over Trinsic, in one case even becoming actual undead to stalk the streets of the city of Honor. Atlantic was, due to The Cult of Necromancy’s involvement, one of the few that had Joye assassinated in its Trinsic Invasion sequence. Trammel arrived and Atlantic reeled in pain as it suffered not one, not two, but THREE time warp reverts during house placement activation. Many who had placed the first and second time were unable to place the third time around. The arrival of Trammel was daunting and confusing to many on the shard, the traditionalists preferring to continue life on the destroyed facet and the die-hards refusing to even enter Trammel.

Eventually, the convenience of not having to worry about non-consensual PvP won out with most of the population and the exodus (pardon the pun) began. The majority of events continued to take place in what was thought of as the “real” facet, Felucca. A great dragon named Lady Lianne took to visiting Rivendell and Gregory Ironhand and the Sword of Sacrifice quests happened. You can read about those here . The arc of events included Xerot the Illusionist and the Lantern of Shadows, as well as many monster invasions of player-run cities. Farmers and Tailors and Evil Bastages made their names on the PvP scene.


The Time of Daven

The Time of Daven began at the first of two large tournaments that took place in the Jhelom Pit. Elder Daven continued the story of the dragon Lady Lianne and a new storyline came about, centered around the daemon Nostur’yl and his zealous follower. Priam and Wilmeth, Atlantic’s other Interest Team members, took great pains to provide events as well. An Adventurer’s Guild was opened in Minoc Trammel, the very first unique location to be created in Trammel. Weekly events took place there and in many major cities. Being predictable and relying on a large word-of-mouth communications network fueled by Molly of Hedge’s Run, many were able to attend the events who never had experienced them before.

The Companions, which had been introduced earlier, came into full force. Third Dawn was brewing and the first UO World’s Faire took place in Austin, Texas, uniting many and putting faces to a great number of well-known names. Factions arrived and Atlantic’s PvP and to some extent its RP communities segmented into ideologies, the foundation of the Regency being the end result of one of those ideologies. Moonglow held summits and The Stormreaver Orcs grew to large numbers. A number of other specialty groups formed in the pattern of the Orcs, such as the Goblins, the Dwarves and the Savages, but each fell to its own doom as time passed. The Firm was founded, one of the latter day schools to indoctrinate newcomers in areas where Companions could or did not. A city bearing the name Wilmeth was also host to a school during this time. Goodman’s Rune Library was founded on the shores of Magincia beach halfway through The Time of Daven, one of the first to offer a comprehensive treasure map rune system.


The Time of the Player

In one fell stroke, the Counselor and Interest Programs were terminated by OSI. All robed volunteerism was ended due to a collection of volunteer counselors suing for back pay. Atlantic, one of the oldest production shards that had experienced years of events was suddenly without the oversight of player volunteers. Players and guilds were now left with the responsibility of self-serving their own content and events and while many consider this a golden age of innovation, some thought of it as a dark one. UO2 came soon to excite the masses and fell by the wayside, leaving its story in bits and pieces with Lord Blackthorne’s Revenge, which came about allowing 2D client players to enter and explore Ilshenar, which had remained nearly virgin to all but a few Atlantians who used the 3D client. Dawn came and went, with her the UO3D and LBR storyline. All of a sudden, tamers were prevalent, fishing was no longer the monster money maker it once was, and banksitting had come into fashion through the gradual proliferation of ice-staffs, nightmares and neon hair dye.

It was a new world with new people joining the shard every day, taught their basics by Haven’s guiding quests, powerhouring to greatness. It was the time of the lumberjacking axer and of the dexer. With no reason to leave the safety of Trammel, the playerkiller made an appearance on the endangered species list, right below the Feluccan taverns of RP history’s yesteryear. Never-ending innovations and concepts were put to the test to entertain and amuse, to enrich and build the intrigue of the shard’s story. The Territorial War Project was one of these, begun by a coalition of guilds willing to work together out of game to define how in-game wars were to take place and the effect they would have. A map was drawn up with hued territories for each participant guild’s claim and conquests, and a shardwide game akin to Risk was played.

Formed in this time were the guilds Humanis, HOT, DEI, The Fishing Council of Britannia and Elf. The Odyssey Niteclub opened and then closed. Few on the shard could anticipate the bigger change the Age of Shadows had waiting in store for Atlantic.


The New Generation

The Age of Shadows came to Atlantic, spearheaded by the promise of new land and the ability to customize housing. Luna, Umbra, and Hanse’s Hostel in Malas each became the centerpiece of a new community. Luna found itself at the center of vendor commerce; houses placed within its city limits allowing the greatest ease of shopping and convenience. This is the time we know that is most recent. The age of Tiffany Case, Stuffa and the Barton craze, arti*****s and pally/tamer/bard combos. Crystal Fens was founded shortly after the opening of Malas, to the southeast of Luna. Umbra too had a small village founded near it, Charnel Hill was founded by The Shadowform Empire and recently merged with Admoreth’s reborn OES. Hanse’s Hostel was selected as the centerpoint for the foundation of a breakaway guild of Stormhaven, the City of Sanctus.

Insurance had a two-pronged effect on the population of Atlantic. Insurance redefined the impetus for player killers to go red. Profit could be made through gold automatically deducted when a player was killed. Additionally, the boost in resources in Felucca and the reassurance that a player’s most valuable items would remain in their possession pushed a slight repopulation of Felucca. Several guilds capitalized on this and the Yew Felucca Moongate has become a nexus of PvP as the Brit Crossroads of old were.

The advent of the Gauntlet caused a new breed of player and guild to develop on the shard. Artifacts became the staple primary source of great wealth on the shard, real estate having fallen dramatically post-Malas. Just as the procurement of resources lead to mission focused guilds forming in the past for the purposes of the extraction of those resources, so has the Gauntlet. Groups of dozens or more battle Dark Fathers non-stop in Doom’s Gauntlet, each vying for a shot at scoring a high damage hit which might yield a bracelet of health or an ornament of the magician. Shortly after the release of Age of Shadows, OSI began hiring Event Moderators to create new events. Event Moderators were to be akin to Seers, but with beefed up powers and contracted directly by EA.


Nikademus – Reloaded

Atlantic was fortunate enough to get Nikademus as its Event Moderator for the OSI fiction arc that followed Age of Shadows. Nikademus and the other EMs have conducted a year and a half of events on Atlantic since the inception of the EM program, each with ever increasing success bringing the experience of an in-game event to grateful players. Unlike former events of UO’s youth, the EM events cater to an entire cross-section of Atlantians. PvPer, PvMer, RPer, and Banksitter alike are found in attendance at the throne room during action hours. The shard has seen the resurfacing and departure of Lord British, the handing over of power to Lord Arathen Wudrin and epic battles with Minax and her bevy of cohorts.

The most recent unique history, the events revolving around the Gem of Garanzen the gargoyle, can be found with a simple search for “Garanzen” in Stratics News. Prime fiction proceeded unaltered from other shards, with the exception of several locations changed. Atlantic is one of the few shards who’s “Member of the Britannian Royal Guard” sash is officially purple, as credit to the True Britannian official faction color. Unique to the shard are Royal Guard survival knifes, given for the correct answers in response to a hunt for a man named Vincent as well as Royal Guard Investigator Cloaks.


The Time of Bennu
(...Narcissus redux)

Wheras Narcissus though remembered, was a fleeting shadow. The time of the Bennu seemed like an age, an epoch. We began with an older Archaeologist, and as time went on hints to earlier times became more and more obvious, and old stories and legends became new again. We visited forgotten places in the world, and gave them new focus and renewed interest. We killed a Queen, we crowned a King, we nearly made a little boy King. We raised the banner of war, and we cried at personal tragedy and loss. We played politics, we wrestled with issues of morality. We lampooned issues in the real world, and we explored the vagaries of time and temporal causality. A rich plot begun decades ago, continued and continued and continued, enjoyed in whole or in part by thousands upon thousands.

Behind the scenes, Bennu was a champion against corruption and favoritism, wanting only to tell stories and do what was best for the community and the EM program. Hopefully to be remembered by his peers as a fair and honest... although eccentric, gentleman.

In his first run, he didn't get to say goodbye, but reborn into Britannia as Bennu, he was finally able to say goodbye in his own way.


The Present

This brings me at last… to now.

Currently, Atlantic stands on the threshold of yet another chapter in its history. What can we, the residents of one of the oldest and most glorified shards expect for the future? What changes to Atlantic’s culture and community will we see when tomorrow comes? Only time will tell. And if it doesn’t, rest assured, I will.

Your Humble Servant,

GreyPawn


I would like to extend an apology to any individual, guild, city or venue that I did not include in this abridged version of the history of the Atlantic shard. To write the entirety of the shard’s history would be a feat of monumental effort and would probably take a year or more of research and fill twenty volumes. This basic outline was created for the purpose of informing and educating, a greater portion of the history and lore had to be summarized. I heartily solicit and encourage you to amend any parts you feel I may have missed.

[Halister Marner]

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Miscellaneous Player History


The Great War of Succession

One cannot forget the "Great War" of Succession (of Britain), fought in the early months of 2003. In perhaps the most exciting RP plot in recent memory Lord Beleth of OES claims the vacant throne of Britain and throws the whole of the community into a war for the ages. Lord Beleth, the "Daemon Lord" crowned himself King of Britain in much the same way as Napoleon Bonaparte did as emperor of the French IRL history. As a result the numerous guilds of light, led by the Kingdom of Stormhaven and the Moonglow Town Council who on the eve of the war signed a momentous treaty of alliance after years of conflict banded together to depose the upstart king. The dark guilds of evil responded in kind and formed a powerful alliance of their own and quickly occupied the City of Britain and hastily prepared for war.

Not soon after the "Grand Coalition of Light" declared against the "Dark Alliance" the forces of evil led by OES, ORC and B-H quickly attacked and sent the whole of Britain into chaos. In one of the most daring raids to date the forces of darkness struck the allies who had gathered to celebrate the alliance between SH and MTC at the Brit Fairgounds. Outnumbered, surrounded and virtually taken by suprise the allies fell victim to the onslaught and were forced to withdraw and regroup. A poorly coordinated but brave counter attack against Lord British (Beleth's) castle faltered not long after but was a morale victory for the light as they proved their resolve and ability to rebound after a crushing blow.

In the weeks that followed many skirmishes and pitched battles, including a battle at sea were fought in and around the City of Britain and the bitter fighting soon spread to the four corners of Sosaria. More and more guilds begain to take sides and enter the struggle and before long they were embroiled in one of the most intense wars in the history of the Atlantic shard. For a time the two sides plotted, gathered their forces and prepared for what was hoped to be a decisive battle that would hopefully conclude the war.

Then in early March, 2003 in one of the largest battles in recorded history the two armies collided in force and battled in the streets of Britain for 2 gruelling hours with both sides claiming victory. Bloodied and tired both armies withdrew back to their front lines and the situation stablized for a time. A few days later a smaller but more conclusive battle was fought in east Britain with the allies having held their ground and repulsed the dark attack an armistice was declared. The war formally ended when the "Daemon Lord" vacated the throne and led his armies out of Britain, the city was liberated but the threat was far from over.

As a result of the war many of the smaller guilds at the time who contribued greatly to their cause grew in strength as ironically two of the largest, SH and OES began to decline. O/S, OPG and B-H were among the guilds who benefited from their involvement in the war as it wasn't until recent that OES began to enjoy a ressurgence as did SH. Lord Beleth (OES), Cyrus (SH), Talon (O/S), Greyskull (OPG), Valkrye (OPG), Brian (B-H) and many many others did a fantastic job in planning and then executing what was a great role playing plot and conflict.


Old Stormhaven

For years, Stormhaven was the only name in Virtue. Stormhaven featured a prime location northwest of the Britain gate, a large cluster of houses, and well-stocked vendors managed almost exclusively by Lady WINTER. Steeped in lore and ceremony, and with a prime location, Stormhaven's Citadel became the hangout spot for many of the shard's better roleplayers, whether in search of a peaceful evening of chatter or a good brawl in the practice fields out back. Stormhaven, in its prime, was widely considered the leader of the Light, the main enforcers of the Regency, and the primary target for such chaotic or evil guilds as the Order of the Ebon Skull and the Stormreaver Orcs. It was also, for a period of months, one of the top 3 largest guilds on Atlantic.

People make the guild what it is, and this is also true of Stormhaven. Many famous and infamous characters emerged from Stormhaven over the years, including:

Cyrus the Holy - leading paladin of Stormhaven, de facto commander of Stormhaven's army, and one of the fastest players in the game for his time. Cyrus was best known for the incredible difficulty involved in killing him. However, his personality was not as great as his combat ability, and he was thought to be something of a power-abuser. Cyrus the Holy vanished long ago and has never returned.

Talon Skyfire - King of Stormhaven, and later Lord of Sanctus. The premier Lightbringer on the entire server for years, Talon vanished a while ago to parts unknown, only to return very recently, and without much power. Always a popular target of the Orcs, whom he would often joke with before and after fights. Equally legendary was his fondness for alcoholic beverages. There is some debate over his marriage, as it is not sure whether he and Shantel are actually cousins, and they aren't saying anything either way.

Firebomb and Surge - the two unofficial dragons of Stormhaven. Back before pets were permitted in combat, back when they were a force to be reckoned with, there were these two. Well-known for their toughness and sheer power in combat, even more well-hated because of it, they were the cause of many a controversy between Stormhaven and its enemies and the source of much bitterness towards their owner. Firebomb vanished with the coming of the Age of Shadows, though Surge is still around today.

Eldred Jonas - second-in-command of the Stormhaven Army. Widely accredited with many victories in the field and hailed for tactical insights, nobody is sure how much of the work was his and how much was Cyrus's. He was a very capable combatant, though after the collapse of Stormhaven and establishment of Sanctus, and a month or two of service as the Sanctus commander, he vanished.

James M'real - another of the leading Paladins and a widely-respected leader who was ironically associated with the Order of the Ebon Skull for a time; it is often thought by outsiders (and they were probably right) that more people listened to James than Cyrus. It is perhaps fortunate for the Kingdom that James was Cyrus's lieutenant, otherwise there would have likely been a conflict between the supporters of the two. I can't possibly do justice to the entire M'real family because of their long and complicated history, so I hope one of them will assist in clarifying. James M'real is supposedly still around.

Ormus Runesabre - a foot soldier in Stormhaven's Knights, and best-remembered for being so thoroughly disrespected by the Kingdom that his name has entered the community's jargon as an insult. To say he earned this dubious honor would be an understatement; many guilds before and after Stormhaven have similar tales of this man. He is said to still be around in some form or another.

Shantel Moon - Queen of Stormhaven and de facto leader. Remembered by many as a fair and just ruler, though the majority of her higher officers resented her authoritarian control of the Kingdom. This was especially noticeable when her entire cabinet abandoned her during the Fall of Stormhaven. Probably the second most commonly kidnapped person on Atlantic, though still leagues behind Molly Willow. Shantel Moon abandoned her Kingdom shortly after it broke up and is no longer around.

Charles Everblue - Stormhaven's recruiter. All of you know the venerable, benevolent, grandfatherly person who guides people who are lost and confused, and this was what Charles was to Stormhaven. Charles was renowned for his ability to get along with almost anyone, and was very generous and friendly to everyone. Probably the single most-beloved figure in the Kingdom, and definitely one of the most-respected figures, if not the most, in the entire community. While Charles is no longer around in the community, he is still remembered with an annual charity auction outside the game.

Other well-known characters to go through Stormhaven were William, the high priest and 'favorite uncle' of the Kingdom, Midnight Voyager ('Middy'), the ranger leader, and probably the most enigmatic person to ever belong to a Light guild, Sara (Swansong), keeper of Firebomb and Surge, Dol'Gorath, future Arcane Leader of Sanctus, Magius Darkstar, Arcane Commander, WINTER, the vendor-keeper, Malicite, future Regent, Ragnar Teach, widely thought to be one of the best pre-Age of Shadows fighters on the server, NOTHUS VICTOR, memorable for his all-caps name and his wife Kinna Nyghthawke, First Knight Sharic, and many future guild leaders and community archons.

Stormhaven's illustrious history came to a sudden and spectacular end when an ongoing dispute between Talon and Shantel resulted in the entire Stormhaven command staff leaving for Malas and establishing the new city of Sanctus.


The Midwinter Ball

In the evening aire of February 98, the first grand scale player event was held on Shard Atlantic.

The streets of Nujel'm were a thronged with merrymakers and troublemakers alike, as bardic tunes echoed across the cobblestones.

The shard itself had trouble with maintaining the energy needed to sustain the event, and it fell upon itself once or twice under the weight of the event. The powers that be worked quickly to bring the shard back online.

I remember sitting in a small stone house, packing brightly colored bags with ale and victuals to be handed to the attendees. There were four or five of us working around the clock to prepare for the event.

It was my fondest memory of UO, and it is one of the reasons why I returned to Atlantic, though many of those who adopted my last name went to Siege Perilous.

Indeed, it is good to be home.


Timeline of the Atlantic Roleplay Community

2003 Events

* War in Luna. Dark Order versus Sanctus.

* "Great War" of Succession (of Britain)

2004 Events

* A black mist covers Dark Cove, killing all it touches and transforming them into shadow wraiths. The area is almost completely abandoned.

* War in Yew that consists of Yew Liberation Forces, aided by the Legion of Justice and the ALV. The liberation forces win the war after several battles. The armies defeated were The Stormreaver Orcs and The Dark Order.

* Sanctus taken over by Lord Bailos, the Wraith Lord (OES). Eventually, the town was liberated by a conglomeration of lightbringers, through much secret planning and recruiting. Lord Bailos fled, taking many of the treasures he found within the city with him.

2005 Events

* Dark Order dissolves.

* Civil war occurs over the control of Nujel'm.

* Lord Darrien Church, High-Priest of Oblivion is usurped by his former student, Norture with the aid of the Wraith Lord Bailos and is presumed destroyed.

* Order of the Ebon Skull seemingly dissolves.

* Vaen Swiftar falls into Abyss, but returns.

* Stormreaver Orc Clan seemingly dissolves after the death of the last remaining orc, Grig'nag da Mojo.

* Rryn Anayi, Empress of Zento marries Tai Otori...gives birth to triplets (2 girls, 1 boy)

* Grig'nag da Mojo dies.

* Lord Kotare dies.

* Mark Randerstill dies.

* James M'real marries Penny.

2006 Events

* Stormreaver Orc sightings.

* Molly Kaldhel gives birth.

* Saidhe Skyfire gives birth to twins, boy and girl.

* Molly Willow marries Will Kaldhel in Nujel'm Palace garden, Tram.

* Talon Skyfire marries Saidhe the Pixie.

* Civil unrest occurs over the control of Moonglow.

* Trial of William for his ordered attack on Skara. He is found guilty.

* Several occurrences of attacks and many times body parts are left strewn in various places.

* Reports of a new presence of control in Umbra.

* Empress Rryn and Emporer Tai go their separate ways, dividing the islands of Tokuno.

* Lady Molly is frozen by an unknown enchantment.

* Attack on Queen Wicked Rose, supposedly by a follower of Demon God Oggaroth.

* Penny M'real gives birth to twins, Cecilia and Zanto M'real

* Arrest by Isk of Priest of Oggaroth.

* Due to an error in communication, the Priest of Oggaroth is set free.

* Ghost becoming sighted at various times, some think it resembles the Late Lord Kotare.

* Ritual combining the Virtues and Druids' beliefs performed to free Molly from her frozen sleep.

* Umbrans and Sanctans battle during Regency meeting.

* Lord Isk of Magincia jailed.

* Sanctus declares an open state of war with Moonglow Town Council.

2007 Events

* Lord Kotare mysteriously returns from the dead.

* Sanctus and Luna declare war on Umbra.

* Stormreaver Orcs presence confirmed. Sanctus no longer delcares war on Moonglow.

* Baron Thrax of Papau initiates a string of lycan hunts in the Papua territory.

* Lich Lord Darrien Church walks the land once more. Summons forth the Daemon Lord Beleth to his aid. Together, they form a new following of Oblivion, The Damned. This serves as a foundation for a second Shadow Conclave, which includes the Stormreaver Orcs, the Zog Cabal, and Umbra. The Wraith Lord Bailos is also freed from his prison.

* Sanctus immediately opposes the new threat, a new alliance of light guilds is formed. The Consensus of Light comprised of Sanctus and Luna, as well as various other good based guilds.

* The princess of Sanctus is killed in a ritual by the Damned.

[Halister Marner]

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Other History


Resources

Town Cryer Articles

A lot of Atlantic's history can be found in Town Cryer Articles:

BNN Archives - Town Cryer Archive

Atlantic Items and Artifacts

Items & Artifacts - Atlantic

Atlantic Seer and NPC Biographies

Biographies - History - Biographies


Unique Locations Listings

Caina

Church of Oblivion

Wyrm's One Good Eye Tavern

Dragon Claw Tavern

Dragon Tooth Tavern

Elysium

Serpent's Cross Tavern

Leiah's Rune Library

Atlantic Mage Tower

Rivendell

Temple of the Avatar

Wandering Wisp Tavern

Wintermoor Museum

West Yew University


Gargish Dragon's History

Gargish Dragon shares the following links :

The Movement Quest

This was run on Atlantic in August 98 by Seer Little and included a large part which was running during 1 week and solving it gave time and place for the final live event. The great report was done by Garulfo.

Ultima Online - Screenshots

Seekers of the Wisp and the Conference

Eye in the Storm - First Conference of the Seekers of the Wisps

Dragon Quests

These were run by the Ultima Dragons, an ancient Ultima fan club (Ultima Dragons -- Internet Chapter), many living in Rivendell.

Xena Dragon - Adventures in Ultima Online (Stories)

The FOA quest on Atlantic

Famous was the large group of people guarding chests for several days.

The Hulkster fights

Starr Long alias Lord Blackthorn remembers this fight.

Green Acres Arena

A special arena was construction in "Green Acres", which later became the Lost Lands. Special monuments allowed player to teleport to the area. Remains of the arena used for the "rematch" actually appeared in the Lost Lands on Europa later.

The Yew Town Council

This link contains history of the early Council, starting from June 1998 and including Lord British's visit in March 1999.

BNN Archives - Lord British addresses the Town Council - Atlantic - March 22nd 1999


A Final Note

A huge thank you goes out to Aalia and Andrasta for originally compiling all this info, as well as Seer Nikademus, Lord Goodman, GreyPawn, Sir Robert, Ceinwyn, Gargish Dragon, Bennu, and many more.