Re: Karma's Effect on the History of Ultima & The Karmic Law of Britannia

    Great reading! Like the new st. Thomas the Aquinate. Really!

    I remember the similar texts on Tolkien's world.

"Quill Dragon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
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> The first time we hear about karma's effect on the history of Ultima
> is in the Compendium of Ultima VI:
>
> " The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the deep
> recesses of the underworld created a karmic imbalance in the universe,
> resulting in the emergence of three sinister Shadowlords from the
> shards of the black jewel of Mondain."
> (Excerpt from the u6 compendium, page 3)
>
> This excerpt from the u6 Compendium means the following two things:
>
>     * The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom created a karmic
> imbalance in the universe.
>     * A karmic imbalance in the universe, which resulted in the
> emergence of three sinister Shadowlords.
>
> So it was the karmic imbalance, which made the three sinister
> Shadowlords emerge. But why did the karmic imbalance make the three
> sinister Shadowlords emerge? The answer to that question seems to be:
> In order to restore the karmic balance of Britannia. This answer is
> most fascinating, for it implies, that a karmic law is at work in
> Britannia. Yet, let us envision the karmic balance of Britannia as a
> pair of scales, in order to think this matter thoroughly through.
>
> In one scale we have all the good karma of Britannia and in the other
> scale we have all the bad karma of Britannia. The scales are in
> perfect balance. As we saw from the from u6 compendium excerpt above,
> it was the acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, which created
> the karmic imbalance. The karmic balance of Britannia was unbalanced
> when the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom entered Britannia with its virtuous
> principles of Truth, Love and Courage. This added immensely to the
> amount of good karma in Britannia. To translate this to our image of
> the pair of scales, the arrival of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom added
> a lot of weight to the scale, which held all the good karma of
> Britannia. Since the scale, which held all the good karma, was now
> much heavier than the scale, which held all the bad karma, the pair of
> scales became unbalanced.
> Here the story could have come to an end with a Britannia full of good
> karma, if it had not been for the Karmic Law of Britannia. As the pair
> of scales became unbalanced, with a large amount of good karma, the
> Karmic Law of Britannia restored the balance by adding an equally
> large amount of bad karma to the scales through the emergence of the
> three sinister Shadowlords.
>
> So this is how the Karmic Law of Britannia works, but what does it
> say? The exact wording can indeed be debated, but the content of the
> Karmic Law of Britannia amounts to this: "Pressure breeds
> counterpressure" and "The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow".
> The last formulation seems especially fruitful in connection with the
> emergence of the Shadowlords, as it adds explanatory depth: The three
> bright lights of Truth, Love and Courage cast the three deep shadows
> of Falsehood, Hatred and Cowardice i.e. the Shadowlords. The
> Shadowlords are the shadows cast by the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom.
>
>
> General Objections to the Article:
>
>
> Objection I :
> The excerpt from the u6 Compendium does not mean two things, but only
> one thing.
>
> Elaboration of objection I:
> " The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the deep
> recesses of the underworld created a karmic imbalance in the universe,
> resulting in the emergence of three sinister Shadowlords from the
> shards of the black jewel of Mondain." (Excerpt from the u6
> compendium, page 3)
>
> This excerpt only means:
>
>     * The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom resulted in the
> emergence of three sinister Shadowlords
>
> And it does NOT mean:
>
>     * The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom created a karmic
> imbalance in the universe.
>     * A karmic imbalance in the universe, which resulted in the
> emergence of three sinister Shadowlords.
>
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection I :
> This understanding of the sentence is, as far as I can see, based on a
> wrong analysis of the grammatical structure of the sentence. It namely
> assumes, that the subordinate clause: "resulting in the emergence of
> three sinister Shadowlords from the shards of the black jewel of
> Mondain" points back to the subject of the main clause: "The
> acquisition". This does, however, not hold true. The subordinate
> clause: "resulting in the emergence of three sinister Shadowlords from
> the shards of the black jewel of Mondain" points back to the object:
> "a karmic imbalance in the universe". Therefore the grammatical
> structure of the sentence tells us to understand it like this:
>
>     * The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom created a karmic
> imbalance in the universe.
>     * A karmic imbalance in the universe, which resulted in the
> emergence of three sinister Shadowlords.
>
>
> Objection II :
> The excerpt from the u6 Compendium is a simple turn of phrase.
> Therefore there is no reason to heed this excerpt when trying to
> understand the lore of Ultima.
>
> Or as the same basic objection was also put:
>
> Objection III :
> The excerpt from the u6 Compendium is not an expression of objective
> reality. On the contrary it is an expression of Lord British's
> subjective interpretation of the historical events of u5.
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection II and III :
> This is a very valid concern. The excerpt from the u6 Compendium could
> in theory be either a "simple turn of phrase" or "an expression of
> Lord British's subjective interpretation of the historical events of
> u5", since the u6 Compendium was after all (within the framework of
> the fiction that is the Ultima lore) written by Lord British himself,
> mainly in first person narrative and in his own hand:
>
> "I, Lord British, write this exhortation in my own hand that you may,
> my virtuous Champion and Avatar, might gain a full appreciation of the
> significance of the times which face us."
> (Excerpt from the u6 Compendium, Introduction)
>
> Yet, the objections are, as far as I can see, to be answered with a
> no. No the Karmic Law of Britannia is not "an expression of Lord
> British's subjective interpretation of the historical events" and
> therefore neither a "simple turn of phrase". If the Karmic Law of
> Britannia was an expression of subjective interpretation or a simple
> turn of phrase, then the u6 Compendium would be the first and only
> place we would encounter the notion of a Karmic Law of Britannia. Yet,
> that is not the case. The Karmic Law of Britannia must exist
> objectively and thus be more than a simple turn of phrase, since we
> seem to encounter it again during the Third Age of Armageddon (u9):
>
> SHAMINO: "The Guardian is part of you, or at least he was once part of
> you. The Guardian is the result of what happened when you became the
> Avatar: the evil side of you was stripped away, and eventually it
> coalesced into the Guardian."
>
> AVATAR: "So you're telling me that the Guardian is my evil twin?"
>
> SHAMINO: "I wouldn't say that he's your twin, but he is, or was, a
> part of you."
> (Excerpt from in-game u9 conversation)
>
> In this conversation we are again confronted with the situation of
> "Pressure breeds counterpressure" and "The brighter the light, the
> deeper the shadow" or in other words: The Karmic Law of Britannia.
> When the Stranger became the Avatar his/her evil side was stripped
> away. This did not add good karma to the karmic balance, like the
> acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom did, but it removed an
> amount of bad karma, which resulted in the same basic situation: A
> karmic imbalance. The Karmic Law of Britannia's response to the karmic
> imbalance, generated by the Strangers avatarization, was very similar
> to its response to the arrival of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, namely
> to allow the shadow of light a life of its own. In connection with the
> Codex of Ultimate Wisdom this meant the emergence of the three
> sinister Shadowlords and in connection with the Avatar it meant the
> emergence of the Guardian. The basic plot of u9 therefore seems to
> validate the content of the excerpt from the u6 Compendium.
>
> Note of Observation :
> As I find the Karmic Law from the u6 Compendium at work again in u9,
> it has been suggested by some of the u9 sceptics, that my article is
> trying to validate the possible inconsistencies of u9 through the use
> of the u6 Compendium. That is an accusation, which I must reject.
> Within the framework of this article it is the u9 plot which validates
> the excerpt from the u6 Compendium and not the other way around. It is
> true, however, that the reappearance of the Karmic Law of Britannia in
> the u9 plot should call for reconsideration within the camp of u9
> sceptics. It might still be a valid position to reject parts of u9,
> but the total rejection of all parts of u9, without exception, seems
> to have lost some of its credibility.
>
>
> Objection III-1 :
> The Compendium was not written by Lord British or any other from the
> core team.
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection III-1 :
> It is true, that the u6 Compendium was written by a member of the u6
> team, who was called Greg Malone. Yet, Greg Malone was as much a part
> of the team, which wrote u6, as any other member of the u6 team.
> Furthermore the u6 Compendium is ascribed to Lord British and is a
> piece of fully original, Richard Garriott sanctioned and endorsed
> Ultima material. What makes you think, that Richard Garriott would
> have allowed the u6 Compendium to be ascribed to his alter-ego Lord
> British and published together with u6 if he did not fully agree with
> its content?
>
> I do not quite understand what you mean by "Core team". Let us look at
> the credited Ultima teams over the period of time from Ultima 4 (u4)
> to Ultima 7 (u7):
> This is the team, which was credited for writing Ultima IV - Quest of
> the Avatar (u4):
>
> Lord British (aka Richard Garriott)
> Roe R. Adams III
> Dave Albert
> Denis Loubet
> Patricia Hunter
> Marsha Meuse
> Chuck Bueche
> Steve Meuse
> Kenneth Arnold
> Bob MacMillan
> Brendan McSheffrey
> John McSheffrey
> Jeff Hillhouse
> Donna Gagne
> Juli Rappolt
> Robert Garriott
>
> These are the people, who were credited as part of the u4 team and who
> were later credited as part of the u5 team:
>
> Lord British (aka Richard Garriott)
> Denis Loubet
> Steve Meuse
> Kenneth Arnold
>
> These are the people, who were both credited as part of the u4 team,
> then the u5 team and later credited as part of the u6 team:
>
> Lord British (aka Richard Garriott)
> Denis Loubet
> Kenneth Arnold
>
> These are the people, who were both credited as part of the u4 team,
> then the u5 team, then the u6 team and later credited as part of the
> u7-Black Gate team:
>
> Lord British (aka Richard Garriott)
> Denis Loubet
>
> Now when you say the "Core Team" do you then mean Lord British (aka
> Richard Garriott) and Denis Loubet? If that is the case then I think
> you will have to deem all the Ultima games (except Akalabeth) invalid
> as source material for the Ultima lore, since none of them were
> written solely by Lord British (aka Richard Garriott) and Denis
> Loubet.
>
>
> Specific u5 Objections to the Article:
>
>
>
> Objection IV :
> The excerpt from the u6 Compendium is wrong. The Shadowlords were not
> created by the Karmic Law of Britannia. The Shadowlords did not exist
> at all until Captain Johne killed his three companions.
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection IV :
> Let us take a look at what Captain Johne tells you when you meet him
> in the underworld (u5):
>
> JOHNE, CAPTAIN JOHNE: "Years ago, my ship was swallowed by a massive
> whirlpool. The remains of my ship washed up on this isle with myself
> and three others. When I recovered, I explored my surroundings, and
> found a great gem broken into three shards. The Shards, full of evil,
> drove me to kill my three companions, and from their blood sprang the
> three Shadowlords. Taking the Shards deep into this underworld, they
> entrapped Lord British, and hold him in their power. They spare me
> only to taunt me with such news until my dying day."
> (Excerpt from the in-game conversation of u5)
>
> What he says seems to fall into two sections:
>
>     * The Shards, full of evil, drove me to kill my three companions,
>     * and from their blood sprang the three Shadowlords.
>
> "The Shards, full of evil, drove me to kill my three companions,"
> So the Shards drove him to kill his three companions. How can shards
> drive you to do something? As far as I can see they can only drive you
> to do something if they have a kind of "will" i.e. they want you to do
> something. In the case of Captain Johne the shards did not want him to
> do just anything. They wanted him to kill his three companions. Now
> why would they want him to do that?
>
> "and from their blood sprang the three Shadowlords."
> When Captain Johne slew his companions the three Shadowlords sprang
> from their blood.
>
> So BEFORE Captain Johne slew his three companions the three shards
> drove him to kill them. Before the three Shadowlords appeared the
> three shards wanted Captain Johne to kill his companions. How indeed
> could the three shards of the Shadowlords have the will to drive
> Captain Johne to kill his companions BEFORE the Shadowlords sprang
> from his companions' blood?
>
> The u6 Compendium seems to explain this riddle to us: The three
> Shadowlords existed BEFORE Captain Johne killed his three companions.
> Here is a possible timeline of the happenings:
>
> Ultima 4 - Quest of the Avatar
> The Stranger uncovers the Codex and becomes the Avatar. In the time
> between u4 and u5 the excerpt from the u6 Compendium takes place:
>
> " The acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the deep
> recesses of the underworld created a karmic imbalance in the universe,
> resulting in the emergence of three sinister Shadowlords from the
> shards of the black jewel of Mondain."
> (Excerpt from the u6 compendium, page 3)
>
> The three Shadowlords are now brought into existence, but in some kind
> of incorporal state it seems.
>
> Ultima 5 - Warriors of Destiny
> Captain Johne arrives at the three shards with his three companions.
> At that time the three Shadowlords are already there, but they are
> incorporal (and most likely invisible since Captain Johne does not
> seem to see them until they spring from his companions' blood). In
> their incorporal state they drive Captain Johne to kill his
> companions. Form the three companions' blood they seem gain physical
> form. Their essence seems to be the three shards, for after they have
> gained physical form and can thus move the shards, from which they
> sprang (see the u6 Compendium excerpt), they move these shards " deep
> into this underworld", as Captain Johne puts it. That the shards
> represent the essence of the Shadowlords seems to be confirmed by the
> fact, that the destruction of the shards destroys the Shadowlords.
>
> To sum up: The Shadowlords had come into some kind of incorporal
> existence before Captain Johne arrived at the shards. Captain Johne
> was only their tool to gain physical bodies so that they could affect
> the physical world through direct interaction. What truly brought the
> Shadowlords into existence was the Karmic Law of Britannia in its
> attempt to re-establish the karmic balance, which was disturbed by the
> acquisition of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom.
>
>
> Objection V :
> After the Shadowlords were destroyed (u5) the Codex still remained in
> Britannia. This should mean, that the karmic imbalance, which lead to
> the emergence of the Shadowlords, should also remain. Why didn't the
> Karmic Law try to remove this remaining imbalance?
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection V :
> The answer to this objection seems to be found in "Worlds of Ultima -
> Martian Dreams". On Mars the Avatar meets the Shadowlords again in the
> Dream World. Here Faulinei, Shadowlord of Falsehood, says to the
> Avatar:
>
> FAULINEI: "It is futile to attempt to destroy us. Your feeble
> 'virtues' are found in the hearts of all people, but so are our
> virtues, their opposites."
> (Excerpt from the in-game conversation of WoU2)
>
> This seems to imply, that the Shadowlords were not completely
> destroyed in u5 after all. They cannot be destroyed, it seems, as long
> as the Codex exists. Thus, in order to maintain karmic balance, the
> Karmic Law did not need to replace the Shadowlords with another evil.
> The Shadowlords had never truly disappeared and therefore there was no
> need to replace them with anything.
>
>
> Objection VI - The Sutek Counter Theory :
> Sutek tells you in u5, that "When Mondain's Gem of Immortality was
> destroyed, its shards still harbored unspeakable evil". Could it not
> be, that the it was this "unspeakable evil", which was "harbored" in
> the shards, which drove Captaine Johne to kill his three companions.
> Thus there is no need for any Karmic Law to explain what drove Captain
> Johne to do the killing.
>
> SUTEK : "I have been scrying for the nature of the three Shards! I
> have learned they were formed at the time of the first Dark Lord. When
> Mondain's Gem of Immortality was destroyed, its shards still harbored
> unspeakable evil! They lay festering deep within the earth, but now
> their malevolent power has been unleashed will the world. The Shards
> and the Shadowlords can and must be destroyed! The Shards must be
> recovered from their resting places in the boundless Underworld, and
> cast into the Eternal Flames of Truth, Love, and Courage... Even as
> each respective Shadowlord stands nigh will the flame of the Principle
> it opposes. Take now this knowledge and use it well!"
> (Excerpt from the in-game conversation of u5)
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection VI - the Sutek counter theory :
> This is a theory alright, but it is a theory, which seems to lacks
> foundation in the Ultima lore when compared to the Karmic Law theory.
> The Karmic Law theory has at least one passage in Ultima lore, which
> beyond reasonable doubt seems to support it (i.e. the excerpt from the
> u6 Compendium). That is more than can be said of the Sutek counter
> theory. Sutek's formulation "When Mondain's Gem of Immortality was
> destroyed, its shards still harbored unspeakable evil!" is vague.
> Sutek does not say anything about the nature of this "unspeakable
> evil". Therefore we do not know if he is talking about a sentinent
> evil (like the Shadowlords) or if he is simply refereing to the inert
> evil of the shards, as the artefacts of evil they are. The Skull of
> Mondain could equally well be said to "harbour unspeakable evil" as it
> was an extremely evil artefact. Yet, that did not mean, that the Skull
> of Mondain was able to drive anyone to do anything. Only the owner's
> inner power hunger could drive him/her to use the Skull of Mondain. In
> Captain Johne's case, however, the will to kill his three companions
> did not come from within himself. It came from without himself. It
> came from the three shards:
>
> JOHNE, CAPTAIN JOHNE: "The Shards, full of evil, drove me to kill my
> three companions)"
> (Excerpt from the in-game conversation of u5)
>
> Furthermore I find, that the Sutek counter theory should be exposed to
> the same type of critisism as the Karmic Law theory has. This means,
> that the Sutek counter theory has to justify, that Sutek's
> formulation: "When Mondain's Gem of Immortality was destroyed, its
> shards still harbored unspeakable evil!" is more than "a simple turn
> of phrase" or "a subjective interpretation of historical events". In
> other words: What justifies, that we try to understand Sutek's words
> as the Sutek counter theory suggests we should? Lastly the Sutek
> counter theory should be asked to explain how it can defend a
> position, which seems to be in direct conflict with other parts of
> Ultima lore e.g. the u6 Compendium. And should it be, that the Sutek
> counter theory rejects the u6 Compendium as a valid part of Ultima
> lore, then it should be asked to explain in detail how it tells valid
> and invalid Ultima lore material from each other.
>
>
> Specific u6 Objections to the Article:
>
>
>
> Objection VII :
> When the Codex was placed in the Ethereal Void, the karmic imbalance,
> which it generated in Britannia, should disappear as well. As the
> karmic imbalance disappears the Shadowlords should also disappear, as
> they, according to the u6 Compendium, emerged as a result of the
> karmic imbalance. Yet, you still meet the Shadowlords in the Dream
> World on Mars (WoU2), which takes place after u6. Why didn't the
> Shadowlords disappear when the Codex left Britannia?
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection VII :
> It seems unclear if the Ethereal Void should or should not be
> considered a location outside Britannia or inside Britannia. This is
> because the Britannian Shrine of Spirituality is placed inside the
> Ethereal Void. So when you stand at the Britannian Shrine of
> Spirituality, inside the Ethereal Void, are you then in Britannia or
> not? It seems that you are and that you are not at the same time.
> I am not sure if there is a final answer to this question, but it
> seems, that while the war between the humans and the Gargoyles was
> ended by placeing the Codex inside the Ethereal Void, it did not
> remove the karmic imbalance generated by the Codex.
>
>
> Specific u7 Objections to the Article:
>
>
>
> Objection VIII :
> Why does the Karmic Law of Britannia extend beyond the realm of
> Britannia to create the Guardian?
>
> Quill Dragon's answer to objection VIII :
> That is a good question. I do not know the answer, for it has, as far
> as I know, never been given. Yet, notice how there is a parallel
> between the emergence of the three Shadowlords in Britannia and the
> emergence of the Guardian in Britannia: They both needed help from
> people inside Britannia in order to begin their reign in Britannia.
>
> The three Shadowlords began as incorporeal entities, which needed the
> help of a person inside Britannia in order to begin their reign in
> Britannia. That person was Captain Johne. The three incorporeal
> Shadowlords drove Johne to help them:
>
> JOHNE, CAPTAIN JOHNE: "Years ago, my ship was swallowed by a massive
> whirlpool. The remains of my ship washed up on this isle with myself
> and three others. When I recovered, I explored my surroundings, and
> found a great gem broken into three shards. The Shards, full of evil,
> drove me to kill my three companions, and from their blood sprang the
> three Shadowlords. Taking the Shards deep into this underworld, they
> entrapped Lord British, and hold him in their power. They spare me
> only to taunt me with such news until my dying day."
> (Excerpt from the in-game conversation of u5)
>
> Then in u7 the Guardian also needs the help of people inside Britannia
> before he can begin his reign in Britannia. Batlin and the Fellowship
> lend their aid and constructs The Black Gate, through which the
> Guardian must enter. The Guardian also makes use of talking to people
> in an incorporeal way through the "inner voice".
>
> TIMELORD: "Thine only hope of leaving Britannia at the conclusion of
> thy quest is to use The Guardian's own vehicle for entering the land
> -- The Black Gate. The Guardian's followers are building The Black
> Gate of blackrock and will be using magic and natural elements to
> activate it."
> (Excerpt from the in-game conversation of u7)
>
> As I said there is, as far as I see, no direct answer to your
> question, but you might be on to another feature of how the Karmic Law
> of Britannia works. If you find out more I would very much like to
> hear about it.
>
>
> The Conclusion:
>
>
>
> Many of the objections raise questions, which our present knowledge of
> the Ultima lore seems to have problems answering. Perhaps the future
> and our continued study of the Ultima lore shall one day make it
> possible for us to answer even these questions. Yet, none of the
> objections seem to bring forth evidence, which speaks against the
> existence of a Karmic Law of Britannia. Nor do they deliver a
> consistent counter-theory, which is able to both explain the excerpt
> from the u6 Compendium, as well as establishing an explanation for the
> events surrounding the emergence of the three sinister Shadowlords.
>
> The assumption of the existence (and importance) of a Karmic Law of
> Britannia, is, however, able to both explain the excerpt from the u6
> Compendium, as well as establishing an explanation for the events
> surrounding the emergence of the three sinister Shadowlords.
>
> Therefore the acceptance of the existence of a Karmic Law of Britannia
> seems to be the most fruitful approach, since it is the approach,
> which is able to handle the largest amount of source material within
> one consistent theory.
>
>
> Epilogue :
> I am far from sure, that this small article ponders this matter in all
> its aspects, but I think, that it may light the way for those, who
> wish to look further into the matter of Karma and Karmic Law in
> Britannia.
>
> I wish to to thank the Horizons Tavern community for raising the
> objections to this article.