Ultima: Aiera
an Ultima Project archive siteTimeline
This section is going to be a work in progress for a while as I struggle to incorporate the various changes to the “official” Ultima timeline that some of the projects have made. The template for this timeline was Quill Dragon’s “improved” Ultima timeline, and for the time being the text of his work appears below (with minor ammendments by myself).
CHRONOLOGY of Britannia by Underworld Dragon
Improved by Quill Dragon.
This timeline represents the “known” events which took place in the worlds of Britannia and Sosaria. By known, I mean those events which are known to have taken place, and for which some context is directlyextractable from the game conversations, documentation, books and scrolls, etc. Not all of the events are”important”, but all can be directly derived from the Ultimas. Where exact dates are not known (the vastmajority of the events) I’ve marked any dates I’ve used as “circa” by putting a small c by the date (eg.c0240). The years are based partially on the assumption that year 0000 represents the founding of Britannia after the defeat of Exodus.
Zog casts Armageddon. (U6, wisps)
(3000 years before U3)
The religious cult of Truth is founded.
(Some time later)
The island of Ambrosia is battered to pieces by “rocks from the sky”. It is thought destroyed.
Humans drive the Cyclops race underground. (U1 doc)
Mondain’s father, Wolfgang, is born. He becomes King of a region in Sosaria known as Akalabeth. (Aka doc)
Later, Wolfgang’s first son (unknown), and second, Mondain, are born. (What happens to the brother is unknown….) (Aka doc)
Mondain is born.
British arrives in Sosaria through a blue moongate, and meets Shamino. (U5 BOL)
At age 15, Mondain kills his father, and takes his ruby gem. (U5 BOL)
Mondain uses the ruby gem against itself, creating the Gem of Immortality. (U5 BOL) (Possibly he retreats to Barataria? One of the castles in the Lands of the Dark Unknown)
(Mondain crosses man/Baratarian bull to create minotaurs) (U1 doc; Minotaur)
British drives Mondain from his corner of Sosaria (”Akalabeth”), and becomes Lord British. (Aka doc)
Various heroes enter the service of Lord British, ridding the local realm of monsters, and earning the title “Knight”.
By performing vile experiments on his own servants, Mondain crosses his own servants with reptiles and creates the Lizardmen. (U1 doc; Lizard Man)
Various Lords of Sosaria outlaw the practice of magic. (U1 doc)
Shamino gets his own kingdom in the “Lands of Danger and Despair”. (U1)
Presence of sea monsters confirmed as the frigate Pembroke is sunk by one in plain sight of a small armada. (U1 doc; Ness Creature)
Mondain recruits help from “starwalking monsters of unparalleled savagery”. Possibly the Kilrathi? 
(U1 doc)
Minax is born.
At age eleven, Minax is apprenticed to Mondain. (U2 doc)
Exodus is “conceived”.
The Stranger appears in Sosaria for the first time, entering through the moongate known as the “Siege Perilous”. (U1 doc; U3 doc)
The four lands of Sosaria had been divided into eight kingdoms.
The Stranger uses a time machine to step outside of natural time and penetrate Mondain’s stronghold.In the ensuing battle, the Stranger shatters Mondain’s Gem of Immortality and then slays Mondain. Three stray shards of the Gem are accidentally scattered.
The release of magic at Mondain’s death causes great upheaval, rending time and space, and 3/4 of the world disappears. This may possibly have been a magical failsafe device of Mondain’s, designed to make Lord British’s realm disappear, leaving the rest of Sosaria ripe for Mondain’s conquest.
Shortly after Mondain’s death, the time doors appear in Sosaria. (U2 doc)
A single orc appears in a farmer’s field. Despite the fact that only a malevolent wizard would have created the orc and not stepped forward, the people refuse to admit that a new power of evil is growing. (U2 doc)
(Approximately 10 (”several”) years pass.) (U2 doc)
Minax, now grown, begins her plans by travelling through the time doors to the era outside of time known as “Legends”.
The Stranger (Avatar) appears in Sosaria again.
[[[ The following events take place outside the normal timeline. ]]]
In New San Antonio, the Stranger purchases Enilno, the Quicksword, from Sentri the Swashbuckler (1990 AD)
After getting a spaceship from Pirate’s Harbor, and visiting Father Antos on Planet X, the Stranger obtains the magical Ring of Protection from an old man in New San Antonio. (2112 AD, and 1990 AD)
In the place of Legends, outside of time itself, Minax is defeated by the Stranger within the castle Shadowguard.
[[[ Timeline resumes normal flow. ]]]
(Approximately 20 years pass.) (U3 BoP)
The diary of Minax is found in the wreckage of castle Shadowguard. The writings hint that Minax and Mondain had been lovers, and produced an offspring, but little more.
The Isle of Fire rises from the sea as molten lava spewing from underwater volcanos.
Monsters begin attacking Sosarian settlements.
A Pirate fleet appears at sea, sweeping all other ships of commerce before it.
Exodus summons the Balance Serpent (also known as the Great Earth Serpent) from its home in the Ethereal Void, and it takes position at the harbor entrance of the Isle of Fire.
On the Serpent Isle, the War of Imbalance breaks out.
A ship is found sailing abandoned, devoid of crew, with the word “Exodus” scrawled in blood on its deck.
Lord British commissions several people to map out the land in preparation for whatever evil onslaught Exodus is preparing.
The cartographer Hawkwind discovers the functioning of the moongates. Before he can communicate the knowledge, he is attacked and gravely wounded outside Castle British.
Shamino returns from his mission of mapping the interior of Castle Death, on the Isle of Fire. The experience renders him temporarily insane.
The Stranger reappears in Sosaria, and recruits three local adventurers for aid.
The lost island of Ambrosia is rediscovered.
The Stranger consults with the Time Lord for the first time.
The Stranger and his companions destroy Exodus in his Castle. This triggers a violent set of cataclysms that rearranges much of the land, destroying several citites in the process. The destruction is likely the result of Exodus losing control over his transformation mechnaisms (used to raise the Isle of Fire in the first place), due to his interface to the natural world being destroyed.
Final forces of evil defeated in a vast battle on the Bloody Plains. Thousands of soldiers die on both sides in the conflict.
Current calendar begins. (year 0000)
City-states band together and form Britannia, electing Lord British as leader.
Lord British forms the Great Council.
The system of Virtues is established.
Erstam and others protest Lord British’s system of virtues, and leave Britannia for the Serpent Isle. (SI doc)
Lord British commissions three Shrines of Principle to be built on the Isle of Fire.
The gargoyles summon the spirits of Mondain, Minax and Exodus to inhabit their three Shrines of Principle. Exodus’ summoning causes the Isle of Fire to sink into the sea, not to be seen again for over three centuries.
The town of Magincia is destroyed by demons, presumably for the pride of its inhabitants. (U4 HOB, UW1 MoSC)
The “Avatar” (Stranger) reappears in Britannia.
The Avatar retrieves the artifact known as the “skull of Mondain” from a deep well in the Great Sea.The well is the original site of the Avatar’s battle with Mondain, as evidenced by the three volcanic plumes nearby - caused by the three Shards. The removal of the skull caused two things to happen: a volcanic island arose (on which Blackthorn’s castle was built), and the Shards were knocked loose. Later, when the raising of the Codex caused the Underworld to be formed, the Shards were carried from that location to almost directly under Empath Abbey, where they were later found by Captain Johne…
Avatar throws the Skull of Mondain into the Abyss, opening the Abyss permanently and destroying the skull.
Avatar survives the Abyss, and enters the Chamber of Virtue at the bottom. The Codex is found, and the Avatar returns to Earth.
(0056)
Monks of Empath Abbey begin making wine.
[Later in this era...]
Great Council raises the Codex from the GSA, and enshrines it on the Isle of the Avatar.
Geological instability induced by the raising of the Codex causes the formation of the Underworld.Creatures begin pouring out of the dungeons again.
The Great Council seals the eight dungeons.
A great drought engulfs the northeastern quadrant of Britannia, destroying Britannia’s third largest lake, Lake Generosity, and creating the desert known as the Drylands.
The village of Vesper is abandoned.
Lord British commissions the writing of the Book of Lore.
The knight Seggalion inadvertently leaves his homeland of (*) through a blue moongate, and becomes a sailor and pirate in Britannia.
(0103)
Monks of Empath Abbey stopped taking vows of silence.
(0105)
July 12
Gendra, shipwright of Trinsic, officially commissions the ship “Golden Hinde”. This ship is later sailed by Leodon and Lenora of Buccaneer’s Den (in U6).
Captain Johne’s ship sinks through a whirlpool and is lost in the Underworld. He kills his shipmates, who through the power of the Shards become the Shadowlords.
(0136)
January 1
The ghosts of ruined Magincia are finally laid to rest through magical means.
March 12
The town of New Magincia is founded.
(0137)
November 26
A female child, perhaps twelve or thirteen, appears in Lord Shalineth’s court. She proceeds to prophesy of an unknown hero, entering a place of great darkness, using three magical artifacts. Near the end of her prophecy, she loses control of the vision and is killed by unknown magical forces.
November 27
LB begins his exploration of the Underworld through the waterfall in river Maelstrom, leaving one of his nobles, Lord Blackthorn, in charge during his absence.
December 1
LB captured by the Shadowlords.
Lord Blackthorn declares martial law, and enacts his repressive Code of Virtue. Blackthorn seizes the Crown of Lord British as a symbol of his new authority.
Iolo, Shamino, and the other Companions of the Avatar are declared outlaws.
In an attempt to save one of the Crown Jewels, the jester Chuckles has the Sceptre of Lord British transferred by courier to Lord Malone of Serpent Hold. Unfortunately, the courier passes through Trinsic while a Shadowlord is present (either Astaroth or Nosfentor). The Shadowlord steals the Sceptre and disappears.
(0138)
LB befriends the demon (actually, gargoyle) Sin’Vraal, and convinces him to become a good guy. Sin’Vraal flees the serivce of Astaroth in the Underworld for the Drylands of Britannia.
(0139)
Iolo and Shamino anonymously commission Sir Arbuthnot, the Royal Coinmaker, to mint a magical coin in the image of the symbol of the Codex, to use in summoning the Avatar.
April 4
Lord Shalineth, the leader of the Lycaeum, completes the book Paths of Destiny as an aid for the Avatar upon his return.
April 5
The Avatar is called through the moongates by Iolo and Shamino.
(0140)
The Avatar meets with the wizard Sutek, who has divined the nature of the Shadowlords.
The Avatar destroys the remaining Shards of Mondain’s Gem and the three Shadowlords.
Avatar rescues LB from the Underworld, Avatar returns to Earth.
Blackthorn banished by LB to an unknown land, later revealed to be the Serpent Isle.
(0141)
The Underworld collapses. Gargoyle realm begins to disappear, bit by bit.
[Later in this era...]
Captain Hawkins’ ship, the Empire, is destoyed when the crew mutinies. Their treasue is buried on the island later known as Spektran, and a map is created and distributed among nine pirates.
Sutek is driven mad by his own magical experiments, and begins performing inhuman experiments combining animal forms, reminiscent of Mondain.
(0155)
The cyclops Iskander Ironheart is born.
[Later in this era...]
Captain Johne sets out to explore Hythloth, and befriends the gargoyle Beh Lem.
In a massive earthquake, the island of Bordermarch sinks beneath the ocean and is lost.
Gargoyles begin attacking Britannia. They capture the shrines one by one.
Quenton is murdered by Michael, aka Blade.
(0161)
The knight Gertan and several others are heavily wounded in an attempt to retake the Shrine of Compassion from the Gargoyles.
July 4
The Avatar is called through a red moongate by the Gargoyles, who attempt to assassinate him. He is saved by Iolo, Shamino and Dupre and escapes via moongate to LB’s throne room.
(0163)
Avatar returns the Codex to the Void, and restores peace between Humans and Gargoyles. Avatar returns to Earth.
Penumbra enters a magical sleep, waiting for the Avatar to reappear and awaken her.
Terfin is founded on the island where Blackthorn’s castle originally stood.
[In another year around this time...]
Lord British contacts the Avatar in a dream, sending him to Eodon for a brief time.
(0172)
Iskander Ironheart slays the seven Gazer princes that stole the eye from the cyclops tribal leader. After this, he is known embarrassingly as “Wonder Boy”.
(0173)
Sir Cabirus obtains permission from Lord Britsh and founds a new Town of Virtue on the Isle of the Avatar. He sends out a call to the land to join him.
[sometime in this period... probably after the call for the Abyssal colony is made]
Mordra crosses from Pagan to Britannia
Horance, already half-mad from isolation, casts spells to give himself immortality, but in the process turns into a Liche and becomes completely insane.
Horance builds his Dark Tower on the main island of Skara Brae
Horance sends his minions to capture Trent’s wife, Rowena, killing her in the process
Caine attempts to mix a potion which can trap Horance. Due to Mayor Trent’s ineptitude, the formula explodes, destroying the entire town, killing all inhabitants instantly.
(0178)
The Abyssal colony is well-established. (Described in UW1 MoSC)
(0181)
Baron Almric’s fortress completed.
(0193)
Stonegate is occupied by a small colony of wingless gargoyles.
(0195)
Lord Vemelon, mayor of Jhelom, and a party of warriors invade Stonegate, slaughter the occupying gargoyles and claim the keep as Vemelon’s private estate. (Later occupied by trolls and an evil wizard, after it collapsed into the swamp…)
(0199)
January 17
Alluria, shipwright of New Magincia, officially commissions the ship “Anne’s Revenge”.
(0207)
An infamous peeping-tom case leads to the outlawing of X-ray white potions. Eventually, an even whiter “Light” potion takes its place in the popular stock.
[another year in this area...]
Sir Cabirus dies in the abyss of natural causes, presumably from old age.
The Abyssal colony begins to quarrel and fall apart. (c0210)
Baron Almric (probably the son of the original Baron) seals the GSA doors.
(0227)
February 29
Denyel, husband of Mythra, enters a cave on an exploring expedition and never returns.
[In this era, circa 0270 perhaps?]
Tyball allows the demon known as the Slasher of Veils to kill Garamon, accidentally trapping it within the GSA’s Chamber of Virtue.
Baron Almric’s (probably the grandson of the original Baron) daughter, Arial, is kidnapped.
The Avatar is summonned by Garamon, and appears in Arial’s bedroom during the kidnapping. Being accused, the Avatar is sent into the Abyss to either rescue Arial or die trying.
Deep within the Stygian Abyss, The Avatar kills the wizard Tyball, and rescues Arial.
With the help of Garamon, the Avatar releases enough power to open a dimensional gate at the base of the Abyss, which the Avatar uses to banish the Slasher of Veils from Britannia.
The volcano within the Stygian Abyss erupts, destroying the remnants of the settlement. The inhabitants escape with Garamon’s help, and resettle in dungeon Despise.
With its reason for existence (and most of its settlements) gone, Baron Almric’s town abandons the Isle of the Avatar.
(0320)
Several “minor wars” among feuding nobles break out. Batlin fights in these as a soldier after training in Minoc.
(0329)
The “minor wars” of Britannia end. Batlin moves to Britain and becomes a bard for a while.
(0331)
Batlin meets Abraham and Elizabeth, fellow adventure seekers, in Britain. They agree to split up and search the world for their destinies for 10 years, then return to Britain.
(0335)
Felcrodon, a theoretical metaparaphilosopher, proposes his theory that there are *not* rays of undetectable, invisible energy bombarding Britannia. The populace breathes easier.
(0339)
Batlin visits Skara Brae, and has an encounter with Horance, which drives him partially insane. After this, Batlin begins to hear the Guardian’s voice. (2 years before founding)
(0340)
Burnside becomes Mayor of Minoc. (”more than 20 years..”)
(0341)
Batlin, Abraham, and Elizabeth gain permission from Lord British to found the Fellowship. The first branch hall is established in Britain.
Britannian Mining Company founded. The town of Vesper is reformed as a small colony of miners for the Mining Company.
BMC petitions Lord British for permission to reopen the door to Dungeon Covetous.
BMC begins supplying blackrock ore to Batlin.
Construction of the Generators and the Black Gate begins.
(0342)
May 23
Rohdon, shipwright of Britain, officially commissions the ship “Dragon’s Breath”. This ship was formerly the Constellation, until it was heavily damaged and rebuilt.
(0343)
The Tetrahedron Generator goes online.
Kalideth, a mage who is going slowly mad because of the Tetrahedron Generator, is killed by the cyclops Iskander Ironheart in an act of self-defense.
(0347)
Spark is born.
(0350)
The Seven Year Drought begins.
(0355)
August 2
Gargan, shipwright of Trinsic, officially commissions the ship “The Scaly Eel”.
The House of Games opens for business on Buccaneer’s Den.
(0356)
The Fellowship branch in Moonglow is founded by Rankin.
(0357)
Finster, an outspoken candidate for political office in Britain, is murdered.
The Seven Year Drought ends.
(0358)
January 3
Russell, shipwright of New Magincia, officially commissions the ship “Nymphet”.
March 19
Clint, shipwright of Britain, officially commissions the ship “The Beast”.
Finnegan is elected Mayor of Trinsic.
Several ships built by Owen of Minoc sink, including one with Korl’s brother on board.
(0359)
June 24
Kethron, shipwright of Moonglow, officially commissions the ship “Lusty Wench”.
Patterson is elected Mayor of Britain, defeating the farmer Brownie in a landslide.
(0361)
May
Inamo immigrates from Terfin to Trinsic.
The Time Lord is trapped by the Guardian in the Shrine of Spirituality.
October
One week before the murder, Christopher argues with Klog and tries to leave the Fellowship.
Christopher is killed around 2am. The Avatar appears the next morning.
At that same moment, the Isle of Fire rises from the sea again, due to Erethian’s magical interference.
(0362)
Avatar meets the cyclops Iskander Ironheart and saves him from Eiko and her sister, the daughters of the mage Kalineth.
August 01
At a final confrontation, Hook, Abraham, and Elizabeth are killed by the Avatar et al. Batlin escapes. The Black Gate is destroyed at the moment of the astronomical alignment, just as the Guardian is attempting to pass through.
(0363)
August 01
Exactly one year later: LB has a party at Castle British, and the Guardian casts a spell [UW2]. Over the course of eight days, the Avatar frees not only Britannia, but eight other worlds as well.
(0362)
(Also, Lady Tory killed. Nelson killed. Patterson killed.)
August 09
Avatar frees the castle after freeing eight other worlds.
(0364)
February
Approximately six months later: Avatar et al pass through the Serpent Pillars to the Serpent Isle. (In the process, they “skip ahead” in time a small amount, enough for Imbalance to begin affecting Britannia.)
Imbalance storms begin. The Royal Mint is teleported/exchanged with a building from Serpent Isle.
The Guardian banishes the Avatar to the isle of Pagan, while he himself enters Britannia and begins his conquest.
[Some time later]
Lord Blackthorn returns to Britannia as the henchman of the Guardian who has promised Blackthorn to rule Britannia once he is finished with it.
The Wyrm Guard is founded and commanded by Lord Blackthorn.
The city of Skara Brae builds their ever-watching sentinel statue.
(0544)
The eight columns raise up from the centre of the eight dungeons of Vice: Deceit, Despise, Destard, Wrong, Covetous, Shame, Hythloth and the Abyss. The Well of Souls in Skara Brae was pierced by one as well. This results in The Great Cataclysm, which reshapes Britannia. The Lycaeum, The Empath Abbey and Serpent’s Hold are destroyed and Vesper is wiped clean off the surface. The general areas of Minoc and Cove are relocated to the area, which was once occupied by Dagger Isle, north of Moonglow island. Jhelom is ruined beyond recognition as a giant volcano rises from the middle of the island. This volcano quickly cools down and Valoria is built inside the crater.
Shortly after this Lord British sends Julia to investigate the column in Dungeon Covetous. Iolo enters dungeon Despise, Mariah enters dungeon Deciet, Geoffrey enters dungeon Destard and Jaana enters dungeon Wrong.
Julia begins writing her journal.
Journal day 1 Julia begins exploring dungeon Covetous. Julia experiences bikering among the people of both Cove and Minoc.
Journal day 2 Julia continues her exploration of dungeon Covetous. Julia experiences beginning riots in Cove.
Journal day 3 Julia makes her final visit in dungeon Covetous.
Julia becomes corrupted and begins serving the Guardian. Iolo, Mariah, Geoffrey and Jaana are corrupted as well and begin to serve the Guardian.
The eight Runes of Virtue are stolen from the Museum in Britain.
Altomar ends his apprenticeship and becomes a mage.
(shortly after this)
The eight Runes of Virtue are corrupted into the eight glyphs of vice. As the eight glyphs are one by one corrupted and inserted into the columns activating them, the eight shrines are corrupted as well. As the shrines are corrupted the circles of magic are closed one by one leaving only linear spells untouched.
(Some years pass)
Riots and plundrings continues in Cove for years and culminates in “The Bad Night” where the population of Cove slaughters each other and the majority of the city is burned down. Out of this tragedy Roxos, and his loyal soldiers, emerge victorious and a cruel regime begins in Cove with Roxos as leader. All who did not obey him blindly were deemed “not-right-thinking”. He gave unto himself the title of “First Citizen”.
Roxos begins to sacrifice humans to the shrine of Sacrifice thinking that he will thereby recharge and thus cleanse it over time.
(0564)
The Avatar returns from Pagan as the Titan of Ether, appearing on the Isle of the Avatar. He is terrified to see a huge building shaped like the face of the Guardian where Terfin once was. Perhaps fearing for his own home planet Earth the Avatar returns to earth. Barely has the Avatar returned to earth before the Time Lord summons him back to Britannia where the Guardian wrecks havoc. As soon as the Avatar returnes to Britannia he is attacked by a wyrm guard riding a dragon. The dragon breathes a cone of fire at the Avatar, but the Time Lord intervenes and teleports the Avatar to Stone Gate saving his life. After this the place of the Avatar’s arrival is no longer to be found.
(shortly after this)
The Guardian tells Blackthorn to keep the Avatar busy while he prepares his invasion of Britannia.
The Gargoyles’ underwater city Ambrosia is destroyed and the entire gargoyle race is killed except for a few surviving individuals in Yew and Terfin.
The Avatar gives a queen egg to Vasagralem thus giving the Gargoyles a chance to save their race.
The Guardian is unsuccessful in corrupting the people of Skara Brae through his column. He therefore looses his anger upon Skara Brae and destroyes it leaving no one alive except the broken sentinel statue.
On the island of Terfin the Avatar casts the ritual known as the barrier of life followed by the ritual of armageddon. This destroys both the Guardian and the Avatar. In doing so the Avatar ascends to a higher level of existence never to return to Britannia. As this happens a wave of purification rushes over the face of Britannia sucking up all the columns.
A new constallation of stars shaped like an Ankh appears on the night sky.
