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 adjustments made by myself).

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 directly extractable from the game conversations, documentation, books and scrolls, etc. Not all of the events are “important”, but all can be directly derived from the Ultima games. Where possible, it has been indicated which Ultima game provided the information — this information could come from an in-game source, or from the game’s documentation.

Where exact dates are not known (the vast majority 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)

The religious cult of Truth is founded.

The island of Ambrosia is battered to pieces by “rocks from the sky”. It is thought destroyed.

Humans drive the Cyclops race underground. (Ultima 1)

Mondain’s father, Wolfgang, is born. He becomes King of a region in Sosaria known as Akalabeth. (Akalabeth)

Later, Wolfgang’s first son (unknown), and second, Mondain, are born. (What happens to the brother is unknown….) (Akalabeth)

British arrives in Sosaria through a blue moongate, and meets Shamino. (Ultima 5)

At age 15, Mondain kills his father, and takes his ruby gem. (Ultima 5)

Mondain uses the ruby gem against itself, creating the Gem of Immortality, and possibly retreats to Barataria, one of the castles in the Lands of the Dark Unknown. (Ultima 5)

(Mondain crosses man/Baratarian bull to create minotaurs) (Ultima 1)

British drives Mondain from his corner of Sosaria, Akalabeth, and becomes Lord British. (Akalabeth)

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 men with reptiles and creates the Lizardmen. (Ultima 1, Ultima Underworld)

Various Lords of Sosaria outlaw the practice of magic. (Ultima 1)

Shamino gets his own kingdom in the Lands of Danger and Despair. (Ultima 1)

The presence of sea monsters is confirmed when the frigate Pembroke is sunk by one in plain sight of a small armada. (Ultima 1)

Mondain recruits help from “starwalking monsters of unparalleled savagery.” It is suggested by various in-jokes throughout the Ultima series that these monsters were the Kilrathi of Wing Commander fame. (Ultima 1)

Minax is born.

The four lands of Sosaria divide into eight kingdoms.

At age eleven, Minax is apprenticed to Mondain. (Ultima 2)

Exodus is “conceived”.

The Stranger appears in Sosaria for the first time, entering through the moongate known as the Siege Perilous. (Ultima 1; Ultima 3)

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 to places unknown.

The release of magic at Mondain’s death causes great upheaval, rending time and space, and most of the world of Sosaria disappears. This may possibly have been a magical failsafe device of Mondain’s, designed to make Lord British’s realm disappear in the event of the Gem’s destruction. Such an event would have left the rest of Sosaria ripe for Mondain’s conquest, whilst removing the principal opposition from the picture.

Shortly after Mondain’s death, the time doors appear in Sosaria. (Ultima 2)

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. (Ultima 2)

Minax, now grown, begins her plans by travelling through the time doors to the era outside of time known as Legends.

The Stranger (possibly the hero later known as the Avatar) appears in Sosaria again.

The following events take place outside of the normal timeline, and on different worlds than Sosaria

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. (1990 AD, 2112 AD)

In the place of Legends, outside of time itself, Minax is defeated by the Stranger within the castle Shadowguard.

The diary of Minax is found in the wreckage of her former castle, Shadowguard. The writings hint that Minax and Mondain had been lovers, and that their affair had produced an offspring. Few other facts are gleaned from her writings, unfortunately. (Ultima 3)

The Isle of Fire rises from the sea as molten lava spewing from underwater volcanos.

Monsters begin attacking Sosarian settlements.

A Pirate fleet appears on the open seas, sweeping away all other ships of commerce in its onslaught.

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. (Ultima 3, Serpent Isle)

On the Serpent Isle, the War of Imbalance breaks out. (Serpent Isle)

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 how moongates function. Before he can communicate the knowledge, he is attacked and gravely wounded outside Lord British’s castle.

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 cities in the process. The destruction is likely the result of Exodus losing control over the transformation mechanisms it used to raise the Isle of Fire from the sea; it is likely that the destruction of the interface between the machines and the natural world had catastrophic results.

The remaining forces of evil are defeated in a vast battle on fields that come to be known as the Bloody Plains. Thousands of soldiers die on both sides in the conflict. (Ultima 6)

Various Sosaria city-states band together and form Britannia, electing Lord British as their 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. (Serpent Isle)

Lord British commissions three Shrines of Principle to be built on the Isle of Fire. (Forge of Virtue)

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. (Forge of Virtue)

The town of Magincia is destroyed by demons, presumably for the pride of its inhabitants. (Ultima 4, Ultima Underworld)

The “Avatar” (who may possibly also have been the Stranger during the Ages of Darkness) reappears in Britannia. (Ultima 4)

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, which turn out to have been caused by the three shards of the Gem of Immortality that were scattered during that battle.

The removal of the skull has two immediate effects: a volcanic island rises from the sea (it is on this island that Blackthorn would later build his castle), and the shards are knocked loose from their resting places.

The Avatar throws the Skull of Mondain into the Abyss, opening the Abyss permanently and destroying the skull. (Ultima 4)

The Avatar survives the Abyss, and enters the Chamber of Virtue at the bottom. The Codex is found, and the Avatar returns to Earth.

The monks of Empath Abbey begin making wine.

Great Council raises the Codex from the Great Stygian Abyss, and enshrines it on the Isle of the Avatar. The upheaval that the Abyss suffers during this process causes the Underworld to be formed. The lost shards are carried, by this same seismic activity, from their undersea location to a spot almost directly beneath Empath Abbey, later to be discovered by Captain Johne. (Ultima 5)

Creatures begin pouring out of the land’s dungeons again. In response, the Great Council orders that the eight dungeons be sealed.

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. (Ultima 5)

The knight Seggalion inadvertently leaves his homeland through a blue moongate, and becomes a sailor and pirate in Britannia.

The monks of Empath Abbey stop taking vows of silence.

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. (Ultima 6)

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.

January 1: The ghosts of ruined Magincia are finally laid to rest through magical means.

March 12: The town of New Magincia is founded overtop of the ruins of Magincia.

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: Lord British begins his exploration of the Underworld by passing through the waterfall on the river Maelstrom. He leaves one of his nobles, Lord Blackthorn, in charge during his absence.

December 1: Lord British is 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 (either Astaroth or Nosfentor) is present. The Shadowlord steals the Sceptre and disappears.

Lord British befriends the daemon (actually, gargoyle) Sin’Vraal, and convinces him to renounce the service of evil. Sin’Vraal flees the serivce of Astaroth in the Underworld for the Drylands of Britannia.

Iolo and Shamino anonymously commission Sir Arbuthnot, the Royal Coinmaker, to mint a magical coin bearing 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. (Ultima 5)

April 5: The Avatar is called through the moongates by Iolo and Shamino.

The Avatar meets with the wizard Sutek, who has divined the nature of the Shadowlords. (Ultima 5)

The Avatar destroys the remaining Shards of Mondain’s Gem and the three Shadowlords. (Ultima 5)

The Avatar rescues LB from the Underworld, and subsequently returns to Earth.

Blackthorn, now stripped of his title and possessions, is banished by Lord British to an unknown land, later revealed to be the Serpent Isle. (Ultima 5, Serpent Isle)

The Underworld collapses. The Gargoyle realm begins to disappear as a result of the upheaval.

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 the nine surviving pirates.

Sutek is driven mad by his own magical experiments, and begins performing inhuman experiments — reminiscent of Mondain’s — involving the combination of animal forms.

(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.