Editing Ultima (series) (section)

====The Age of Armageddon: ''Ultima&nbsp;VII–IX''====
''[[Ultima VII: The Black Gate]]'' ([[1992 in video gaming|1992]]) sees the Avatar entangled in the plan of an ostensibly virtuous and benevolent organization named the Fellowship (inspired by [[Scientology]])<ref>''Prima's official strategy guide – Ultima Ascension'', page 271</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1571/the_history_of_computer_.php?page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027093514/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1571/the_history_of_computer_.php?page=3 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 27, 2007 |title=Features – The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994–2004) |website=Gamasutra |access-date=2012-09-02}}</ref> to create a gateway for the evil entity known as the Guardian to enter Britannia. Though all of the main line of ''Ultima'' games are arranged into trilogies, Richard Garriott later revealed that ''Ultima&nbsp;VII'' was the first game where he did any sort of planning ahead for future games in the series. He elaborated that "the first three didn't have much to do with each other, they were 'Richard Garriott learns to program'; IV through VI were a backwards-designed trilogy, in the sense that I tied them together as I wrote them; but VII-IX, the story of the Guardian, were a preplanned trilogy, and we had a definite idea of where we wanted to go."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=NG Alphas: Ultima&nbsp;IX: Ascension |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=22 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=October 1996|pages=154–5}}</ref> An [[expansion pack]] was released named ''[[Forge of Virtue]]'' that added a newly arisen volcanic island to the map that the Avatar was invited to investigate. The tie-in storyline was limited to this island, where a piece of Exodus (his data storage unit) had resurfaced. To leave the island again, the Avatar had to destroy this remnant of Exodus. In the process of doing so, he also created The Black Sword, an immensely powerful weapon possessed by a demon.

''[[Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle]]'' ([[1993 in video gaming|1993]]) was released as the second part of ''Ultima&nbsp;VII'' because it used the same game engine as ''Ultima&nbsp;VII''. According to interviews, Richard Garriott felt it therefore did not warrant a new number. Production was rushed due to deadlines set to the developers, and the storyline was cut short; remains of the original, longer storyline can be found in the database. Following the Fellowship's defeat, its founder [[Batlin (Ultima)|Batlin]] flees to the Serpent Isle, pursued by the Avatar and companions. Serpent Isle is revealed as another fragment of former Sosaria, and its history which is revealed throughout the game provides many explanations and ties up many loose ends left over from the Age of Darkness era. Magical storms herald the unraveling of the dying world's very fabric, and the game's mood is notably melancholic, including the voluntary sacrificial death of a long-standing companion of the Avatar, Dupre. By the end of the game, the Avatar is abducted by the Guardian and thrown into another world, which becomes the setting for the next game in the series. ''[[Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle#The Silver Seed expansion|The Silver Seed]]'' was an expansion pack for ''Ultima&nbsp;VII Part 2'' where the Avatar travels back in time to plant a silver seed, thus balancing the forces that hold the Serpent Isle together. Like ''Forge of Virtue'', the expansion contained an isolated sub-quest that was irrelevant to the main game's storyline, but provided the Avatar with a plethora of useful and powerful artifacts.

In ''[[Ultima VIII: Pagan]]'' ([[1994 in video gaming|1994]]), the Avatar finds himself exiled by the Guardian to a world called "Pagan". The Britannic Principles and Virtues are unknown here. Pagan is ruled by the Elemental Titans, [[god]]-like servants of the Guardian. The Avatar defeats them with their own magic, ascending to demi-godhood himself, and finally returns to Britannia. A planned expansion pack, ''The Lost Vale'', was canceled after ''Ultima&nbsp;VIII'' failed to meet sales expectations.

''[[Ultima&nbsp;IX: Ascension]]'' ([[1999 in video gaming|1999]]), the final installment of the series, sees Britannia conquered and its Virtues corrupted by the Guardian. The Avatar has to cleanse and restore them. The Guardian is revealed to be the evil part of the Avatar himself, expelled from him when he became the Avatar. To stop it, he has to merge with it, destroying himself as a separate entity. The [[Ultima IX: Ascension#Original plot|unreleased version of the plot]] featured a more [[apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|apocalyptic]] ending, with the Guardian and Lord British killed, Britannia destroyed, and the Avatar ascending to a higher plane of existence.