Ultima VII, Day 10

Wow, it's been a long time since I blogged! But moving into a new apartment and traveling back and forth across the country do that to you, don't they? I begin work on Monday, so I think the blogging pace will be slower than in the spring, but faster than present--I'll probably play, then blog the next day, etc. Maybe 2-3 days between updates.





In any case, the latest effort was to find Caddelite--located easily thanks to help at the Lycaeum--and acquire it. The substance's location is interesting, because there is a gigantic serpent hidden in the grasslands of the area, and there's also a mysterious tower in the center of the island (Ambrosia) that I cannot get into as a consequence of a) not having a boat and b) not being able to cast unlock magic due to the magic-tegating flashing dust in the area. There's also a big hidden room with a mage and a squashed-head-man in the southern section, but which is mostly devoid of good treasure. i got a few gold bars, but that's all.

Zircon in Minoc made me the helmets I required, and I headed back to the cube generator on the Fellowship Island. Note that I landed my carpet there, so there was no need for me to join the Fellowship! But maybe I should have. In any case, the cube is one of my favorite parts of the game. Basically, it's a series of concetric squares, and walking on different points causes explosions and other walkways to appear, yet ome areas are blocked by invisible force fields. The goal is to reach the center, and I love how the Guardian taunts you all the time, chuckling when you step onto a ledge that leads to a wall, for example. That or telling you "that is the proper direction to travel, Avatar!" as you waltz into flames and explosions.

The cube is a curious tool because it causes Fellowship members to speak the truth, but unfortunately I have not been inspired by its results. Batlin vanished when I used it on him, but no one else seems to care about it--So far I've tried it in Moonglow, and also had it on me while the Trinsic leader gives his speech to his congregation, to no effect. Too bad.

I think Ultima VII is pretty short, as far as the actual plot is concerned, but there's at least three dungeons I can think of offhand that I've not had any reason at all to visit (Destard, Wrong, Covetous). My next day or two of gaming may simply be exploring those locations, before or after which I can hit the Isle of Fire. I wonder how long that will take? The test of Truth is far easier since I remember its solution, but I think I will wander around that one some just for kicks. I look forward to Serpent Isle, and playing Silver Seed again, because I have not solved those quests in many years.

At the present time, the only flaw with Ultima VII is a certain lack of urgency to the game--maybe it's because I've played it before, but I know that I could sleep for the next 10 years in the game and the astronomical alignment will simply never occur. So I'm free to explore at will, in spite of the Time Lord! Which reminds me, I need to try out to play myself in the Britain theater...