Question in geography

**Cabe Bedlam** · 17th October 2006, 12:35 PM

Is Malas the lands of the dark unknown?

**Silverfoot** · 17th October 2006, 07:22 PM

Quote:

The Dark Facet
In the original land of Britannia the shards of the Gem Of Immortality hold the worlds of Ultima Online. The following was written by a scholarly mage who made a detailed study of those shards…

Excerpt from Observations of The Shards, A Chronicle Of The Remains of the Gem Of Immortality
By Clainin

As a young mage I sometimes pondered the power that was lost when the Stranger shattered the Gem so long ago. Mondain was nightmarishly evil; he used the power of this artifact in its whole form and single-handedly captured all of Sosaria under his tyranny. Surely, in the hands of one who was good and virtuous of spirit, the Gem could have been used in a similar fashion to undo the evils of the world? I dreamed of a world where the Gem served mankind and the evils of Britannia vanished before prosperity. I regretted the shattering and wondered if another way could have been found to defeat Mondain and preserve the Gem. Over the course of my research I have learned that the dreams of a utopia I once entertained were the foolish fancies of a hopeful youth-for today I have seen the final piece of evidence I need to surmise that a dark evil resides within the Gem's remains.

As I have explained in past essays, the Gem of Immortality was linked to our world when it was broken. As a result, copies of Sosaria exist within each of the broken fragments. As previous essays suggest, it is possible that copies of actual people may exist and thrive in different lives within these alternative Sosarias (I sometimes wonder if I have a duplicate in these worlds and how he fares). Although these alternate Sosarias appear to us as small globes within the shards and a great deal of detail cannot be seen, we have learned much. We know that just as the shards themselves are not in the original shape as the Gem of Immortality, the worlds within the shards are also different. Each facet of each shard holds a different world altogether. Through the larger and more uniform of the facets a nearly identical copy of Britannia can be seen, although differences can be detected in the geography of the land within the facet and our own true Britannia. However through the smaller and more uneven facets there are worlds so changed and bent that they look nothing like our Britannia and clearly have a civilization unlike any known to us. In many of the shards one particular facet contains one single continent, wreathed in mountains and with a great white city that can be seen nestled in the center. Another facet contains an ancient looking land with swamps to the south and a desert to the north. I can only theorize that the imperfect and sometimes jagged shape of the facets formed these strange worlds from what was to be a copy of Britannia. As the vessel that held the world changed, all elements of space, time and magic would also have to adapt to fit the new form. It is entirely possible that within each facet the past, present and future changed drastically to accommodate the new shape of its facet, a sort of retroactive continuity. Who knows what strange new civilizations could have been created in the distant past or future of these worlds?

It also seems that travel between the facets has become possible for the inhabitants. Even though physical travel from one of these facets to another would seemingly be impossible within a shard, through magic or perhaps even moongates it is somehow being accomplished. Again, details are difficult to see from our bird's eye view outside of the shards, but there is visible evidence of change in some facets that could only be the result of mankind or some intelligent civilization arriving. Within one facet that I had thought empty of mankind, I suddenly noticed a castle of some sort had been rebuilt. Within others I have seen roads form and groves of forest cleared away. I previously found it confusing how these facets seemed to remain completely unpopulated for so long, then suddenly have clear signs of civilization. Now I believe I have found a clue, for a new piece of the puzzle has come to my attention.

Each shard possesses one facet remarkably different from the rest, one I have named the "dark facet". The dark facet seems to have a shadow cast over it, almost as if it absorbs light. This facet also contains a world, but it is one unlike any I have ever dreamed. The land within appears to rest over a great void that seems to extend in all directions; it is as if a massive island rests on a dark sea of stars. Could it be that the laws of nature have become so bent in this facet that such a thing is possible? Did a great magic within the world create such a place? I may speculate for the rest of my life but the puzzle extends deeper still.

More than once I have witnessed catastrophe within the dark facet. Gradually the land itself has broken, as if great tremors have shaken sections of the earth loose and allowed them to fall into the nothingness below. Each time the dark facet experiences one of these disasters, it seems that all life inside of it is also destroyed; the usual signs of human progress cease and cities gradually fade into ruin. It is as if no trace of life remains yet eventually civilization will somehow return to the facet and the process of destruction is repeated anew. Now after a review of my past notes I have come to realize that every time the destruction strikes the dark facet, a different facet on the shard seems to begin teeming with life. I now must conclude that this great cataclysm within the dark facet has something to do with other facets connecting. Is it possible that some sort of barrier is being broken? I am also forced to wonder if the malevolent shadow within the dark facet is a reflection of Mondain's evil, perhaps just as twisted as the worlds within the facets.

I fear these are mysteries I may never solve, for I can think of no way to know for sure without being within one of the worlds inside the shards. Although I once longed to see the wonders of these curious realities, I now fear for the inhabitants, as it seems something dreadful hides within th

**Silverfoot** · 17th October 2006, 07:34 PM

Guess I'll continue the story.....

Quote:

Part I: The Revival

"The brightest light can sometimes cast the darkest shadow."
Gred Tathiraal of the House of Malas, The First Age of Malas

Through the Gatewater

The vast oceans of Britannia seemed to stretch out for eternity from where Greyn perched near the top of the ship's mast. The seas around him seemed to be growing ever more turbulent with the coming storms. Dark clouds coated the sky as if the world was underneath an old, worn blanket. Although his grip on the mast was strong, the winds were becoming colder, and the ship was starting to tilt to and fro as the waters angered. Looking down at the deck he could see his brother, Mordin, standing near the bow of the ship, gazing over a map, seemingly impervious to the nearing danger.

"Mordin! We have to turn back!" Greyn called down. Mordin continued gazing at his map, motionless, save for the dark curls of his hair blowing in the breeze. Greyn wasn't sure if the creaks and groans of the Highwater combined with the winds were drowning out his voice, or if Mordin had just become distracted again.

"Mordin!!" He bellowed. Still, Mordin did not move. "That fool wouldn't hear an angry dragon coming for him…," Greyn mumbled as he climbed down the mast and dropped to the deck of the ship. "Mordin, help me get the ship turned around. This storm doesn't look like something we want to try and…Mordin?" He stomped his way across the deck and stood in front of his shorter brother, staring down at him. His long, dark hair swirled in the wind behind him like an angry cat's tail, which suited his glare well.

"Greyn…I think we should go west. We haven't checked west, we need to check west," Mordin said without looking up from his map.

"I think you should check the sky. We need to head back." Greyn pushed the map down and finally his brother met his gaze. "This storm will have us for supper if we don't try to get out of it now."

"We haven't looked west yet. Greyn, he could be to the west." Mordin's gaze was strong and sad.

"We haven't seen him in 2 years, Mordin." Greyn clasped his brother's shoulder. "And if we're not careful we won't ever see him."

Greyn sighed and looked away. "Maybe we should take some time away from this."

"What do you mean?" Mordin sounded hurt.

Greyn slowly paced the deck. "We have been searching for well over a year. I miss father as much as you do but… Mordin, we have to be honest with ourselves. He's probably not going to come back. It wouldn't have taken him so long to come back home."

"He was an explorer, he could be anywhere." Mordin stared out towards the west.

Greyn's shoulders slumped. He felt as if he had lived through this conversation hundreds of times. "If we're meant to find him and he's alive…."

"He's alive."

"If we're meant to find him, we will. We can't find him if we lose the Highwater with us in it." Mordin's face remained blank. "Help me change course; that storm doesn't look like it's going to go away." Mordin gazed back towards the west once more and then reluctantly began to help his brother.

For hours they sailed under the dark clouds, trying to escape the embrace of the storms, but more and more the seas tossed the Highwater back and forth with foaming waves that made the ship groan like an aggravated sea creature. The winds grew so fierce that the brothers were forced to close their sails. They clung desperately to the rails of the ship as the water forced their eyes nearly shut.

"Something is wrong!" Greyn yelled through the winds.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?!" Mordin roared back.

"No, the Highwater! Something is wrong with the ship!" Greyn replied, looking around as another wave made the mast creak under the strain. "The ship is moving faster! We closed the sails, but we're moving faster--we're being carried by a current!"
Through the shower of raindrops, Mordin's eyes grew wide. "Greyn! I think I see where the current is coming from!"

Greyn looked across the bow of the ship and his face froze. In his shock, he pulled himself forward along the deck and looked across the waters. It was as if the ocean suddenly dropped out of the horizon into nothingness. Through the haze of the storm he could see a great chasm in the seas roaring like a dozen tidal waves. It wasn't until the speeding currents drew the Highwater ever closer that he knew what awaited them.

He spun around and scrambled his way back to Mordin desperately. "Whirlpool! Hold on as tight as you can, it's a whirlpool! Mordin! Grab onto anything you can and don't let go!!"

The ship, nothing but a speck in the tempest, rushed towards the whirlpool faster and faster. The Highwater hit the edge of the massive vortex and was jarred hard to its starboard side by the deadly spinning waters, nearly throwing the brothers from the deck. The ship shot faster and faster around the edge of the swirling ocean chasm, building up speed and howling through the winds. Through the piercing rains, Mordin could see the edge of the whirlpool stretching further away as if the boat had fallen from a massive cliff. As the ship fell deeper, darkness folded in around it and covered the vessel, burying it in the black seas. The last thing Mordin heard was the mast snapping into splinters.

* * *

It seemed as if ages passed, while nothing existed but the rushing cold. No light or sound, no air or warmth, only a chilling darkness that felt as if it were rushing past. The world was still and quiet, yet in turmoil and twisting. In his mind, Mordin wasn't sure if he was dead or somehow aware of being unconscious; the sensation numbed him, yet he could think through the chaos. Time felt as if it had slipped away, yet he wondered if he was trapped in eternity.

Shattering through his confusion, a light cracked through the darkness. All at once, he could faintly see that he still held onto the deck of the Highwater as it tumbled through the darkness of the ocean, end over end. The ship appeared to have broken in half and the mast was a jagged stump jutting forth from the remains of the deck. Briefly in the spinning light he caught a glimpse of Greyn, although he could not see if his brother was even alive or dead. The light grew ever brighter as if a crack was breaking open in the darkness and the ship was tumbling towards it. As the remains of the Highwater passed through the fracture of brightness, the light became as the darkness once was, enveloping everything around it and dulling the senses.

As quickly as it had broken, the light vanished, and Mordin finally succumbed to the blackness.

* * *

"I think this one's coming around, Fallah."

Mordin could feel warmth creeping back into his limbs and light dancing on the other side of his eyelids. He could feel the grit of sand on his face and in his hair. His robes were soaked. As he slowly broke his view of the world open again, he could see a huge barrel of a man leaning over him, smiling. A few paces away, Greyn was beginning to stand with help of a pretty young woman.

"What…where are we?" Mordin's legs buckled as he tried to stand. The stranger standing over him caught him by the shoulders and helped him to his feet.

"Easy lad, you're in no hurry," the man said with a deep rumble. "You're lucky to be in one piece after being on such a journey. We get just as many bodies as we do survivors on the shores of Gatewater Lake."

Greyn stumbled over to Mordin with the help of the young woman and held his brother's head in his hands. "Are you alright? Mordin?"

"Yes…yes, I think I am," Mordin said dazed, but still smiling slightly at his brother. He turned and looked at the stranger who had awoken him. "Where did we land? Are we far from Trinsic?" Besides the waters, he could see nothing but desert all around them.

The man looked uneasily at the young woman and then back at Mordin. "Yes lad, I'm afraid Trinsic is very far from this place. My name is Grevel Brandsmen and this is my daughter, Fallah." He gestured to the woman.

She smiled at the brothers and in a small voice said, "Welcome to Malas."

RMS Carpathia · 17th October 2006, 10:49 PM

Oooo awesome! Thanks!

-RMS Carpathia-

Archaon · 18th October 2006, 04:06 AM

WOW, thats amazing!! thanks also...

**Silverfoot** · 18th October 2006, 09:35 AM

You can actually read the rest by going to this link. Look to the right side and you'll see the rest of the stories.

**Cabe Bedlam** · 18th October 2006, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverfoot

You can actually read the rest by going to this link. Look to the right side and you'll see the rest of the stories.

Thanks, I have tons of in game history books, but for some reason I've never read the history of Malas. Your awesome!

**Silverfoot** · 18th October 2006, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabe Bedlam

Thankss. Your awesome!

Naaaa, Just old.

**Ally** · 18th October 2006, 03:51 PM

That was good! Too bad it wasn't finished. Or did anyone take up writing the story where it ended?

**Silverfoot** · 19th October 2006, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ally

That was good! Too bad it wasn't finished. Or did anyone take up writing the story where it ended?

See what I can find.

17th October 2006, 12:35 PM	#1
Cabe Bedlam Master of Magic, no really I'm serious Join Date: Sep 2006 Shard: Catskills Posts: 1,531 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Question in geography Is Malas the lands of the dark unknown?

17th October 2006, 10:49 PM	#4
RMS Carpathia Madien of the Great Blue Join Date: Jun 2006 Shard: City of Heroes - Virtue Shard Posts: 1,903 Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Question in geography Oooo awesome! Thanks! -RMS Carpathia- __________________

18th October 2006, 04:06 AM	#5
Archaon Breathe of Life Join Date: Oct 2006 Shard: Europa Posts: 88 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: Question in geography WOW, thats amazing!! thanks also...

18th October 2006, 09:35 AM	#6
Silverfoot Mith'quessir Join Date: Mar 2005 Shard: Chesepeake Posts: 2,081 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 72 Thanked 54 Times in 31 Posts	Re: Question in geography You can actually read the rest by going to this link. Look to the right side and you'll see the rest of the stories. __________________ "Careful what you wish for, You just might get it all.... And then some you don't want"

18th October 2006, 03:51 PM	#9
Ally The Couch Hottie Join Date: Aug 2004 Shard: Lake Austin, Atlantic Posts: 4,371 Thanks: 12 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Question in geography That was good! Too bad it wasn't finished. Or did anyone take up writing the story where it ended? __________________

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