Ultima III: Exodus

Story

Everywhere the subjects of Lord British were happy and prosperous. A great cancer had been expelled from the body of the world. The people had been cleansed and there was great rejoicing in the cities. Even the orcs had disappeared from sight after the fall of Minax's castle, as reported in Ultima II. The peace lasted twenty years. Twenty years is also the time it takes for an infant to become human. Several fragments of a manuscript have been recovered from the ruins of Minax's castle, hinting at a dark secret. There seems to have been an unholy alliance between Mondain and his young apprentice Minax. Something has emerged from this union, but whether it is a human, a monster or a demon, the fragments of the manuscript are eerily silent. What had become of the child prodigy born in hell? There were no clues. Time passed and the omens began to deteriorate. Comets moved across the sky and a rumbling could be heard deep in the earth. Then one day, in a fiery birth of molten lava, an island rose in the middle of the ocean. No one could approach it; the fire and steam were too great. Some drunken sailors claimed to have caught a glimpse of the island when the steam was briefly blown away by a strong wind. They swore there was a castle in the middle of this inferno, but you know how reliable a drunken sailor's word is. Then the sweet, flowing rhythm of country life was interrupted. The drums of the orcs began to pulse through the hills and mountains, and the terrible raids began. The outlying settlements all retreated to the safety of the village fortresses. Shortly afterwards, a pirate fleet suddenly appeared and trade was swept from the seas. An evil force rose up in the west and the whole earth groaned under its tremors. When rumors arose that the great earth serpent had risen from its long slumber at the bottom of the ocean, people began to cry out that the end of the world was near. Lord British sent out his most trusted and talented advisor to uncover the facts behind these wild rumors. Weeks passed, then a shaken man was found wandering in the groves outside the castle. A terrible sight had robbed him of his sanity. He just kept repeating: "From the depths of hell... He comes to take revenge." What he/she was remained unclear. However, the spread of his evil powers was very clear. Lord British sent out a call to all heroes of the people to gather. That is why you are here today. You have heard the call and answered it. The task before you is not an easy one. Evil is openly roaming the land and attacking all travelers. You and your companions must grow stronger quickly if your party is to survive. Search the ancient paths for long-forgotten truths and powers. A possible clue to the identity of your arch-enemy has already been discovered. An abandoned merchant ship was recently towed into port. None of the crew members were on board, alive or dead. All were gone, as if torn from the ship by an evil force. The only thing found was a word written in blood on the deck: E X O D U S.