Difference between revisions of "Virtues"

Revision as of 00:13, 25 September 2011

The term Virtue refers to the moral system of Ultima Online and to a game mechanic that grants bonuses for performing certain actions.

There are eight components of the virtue paradigm: Compassion, Honesty, Honor, Humility, Justice, Sacrifice, Spirituality, and Valor. The game mechanic is accessed via the Virtue Gump. The philosophy behind the Virtues is opposed by the philosophy of Chaos; the individual virtues are opposed by a sin that is its opposite. Additionally, each virtue has a mantra that is usually of use at the respective Shrine.

Ultima Online Virtue System

Most often, Virtue refers to the in-game system wherein players can perform certain actions based on or related to the Virtues, and achieve certain in-game powers. Only five of the eight virtues currently are active.

In the 2D client, the system is accessed by double-clicking the symbol at the very top of a character's paperdoll. For information on how to access the Virtue system in the Kingdom Reborn client, see Virtues Menu.

For detailed information on each virtue, prerequisite, and benefit, see the following main articles:

Active Virtues

Compassion: A Heart (NPC escort quests / resurrect others with up to 80% full health)
Honesty: An Open-Palmed Hand ("Lost" items / NPC merchant discount)
Honor: A Chalice (Honoring then killing monsters / walk amidst monsters without being attacked)
Justice: A Set of Scales (Killing reds / increased power scrolls amounts)
Sacrifice: A Teardrop (Sacrificing fame / self resurrection)
Valor: A Sword (Kill champion spawn monsters / ability to activate and advance champion spawns)

Inactive Virtues

Humility: A Shepherd’s Crook (inactive)
Spirituality: An Ankh (inactive)

Ultima Virtues

Each of the eight virtues are derived from one or more of the following Principles: Truth, Love, and Courage. Each principle is in turn embodied by an item: The Book of Truth, The Candle of Love, and the Bell of Courage.

All of these items have been seen in-game, or were dealt with at some point in the history of UO. The Bell of Courage was broken and then repaired through use of Blackrock. The Candle of Love is located under the winery in Yew. And while the Cavern of the Candle of Love is currently closed off, blessed candles that were lit by the Candle of Love are owned by some players and are seen from time to time. The Book of Truth is located in a chamber under the Lycaeum, and can be seen by players.

Here is a popularly-used chart that states the mantra of each virtue, its associated sin, and the principles from which it is derived, along with other information (for example, one will need to know the associated color of Humility to accomplish the Cloak of Humility quest).

Virtue	Principles	Towns associated	Mantra	Dungeon/Sin	Color	Symbol	Word of Power
Honesty	Pure Truth	Moonglow	Ahm	Deceit	Blue	Open hand	Fallax
Compassion	Pure Love	Britain	Mu	Despise	Yellow	Heart	Vilis
Valor	Pure Courage	Jhelom	Ra	Destard	Red	Sword	Inopia
Justice	Truth, Love	Yew	Beh	Wrong	Green	Scales	Malum
Sacrifice	Love, Courage	Minoc	Cah	Covetous	Orange	Tear	Avidus
Honor	Truth, Courage	Trinsic	Summ	Shame	Purple	Chalice	Infama
Spirituality	Truth, Love, and Courage	Skara Brae	Om	Hythloth	White	Ankh	Ignavus
Humility	Truth, Love, and Courage independently	New Magincia	Lum	Doom or Hythloth	Black	Shepherd staff	Veramocor

The mantras are occasionally used in-game, but the "Words of Power" have never been used. The Virtues in Ultima lore were also associated with certain professions, but those seem less important in UO's more flexible system, and thus have been omitted from the chart.

The Embodiment of the Virtues in the game is the Avatar. In the single-player Ultima games, the Avatar was the character being played. In UO, the Avatar is basically a mythical "Christ figure" who is referred to but is not seen. He was the "stranger" who slew Mondain.

The relationship between the Principles and Virtues is sometimes explained this way:

Honesty is respect for Truth ("that which, when you possess it, means all may rely on your every word");
Compassion is Love of others ("the quality that compels one to share the journeys of others");
Valor is Courage to stand up against risks ("that which answers when great deeds are called for" and "the cloak that protects the other virtues");
Justice is Truth, tempered by Love ("that which should be the same for nobles and serfs alike");
Sacrifice is Courage to give oneself in name of Love ("that which is loath to place the self above all else");
Honor is Courage to seek and uphold the Truth ("that which shirks no duty");
Spirituality is to seek Truth, Love and Courage from one's own self and the world around ("that which, in knowing the self, knows all");
Humility is the opposite of Pride - the absence of Truth, Love or Courage ("That which serfs are born with, but nobles must strive to attain").

Humility was described in the single-player games as the foundation of the Virtues. Without it, the other Virtues will of necessity fall into Pride, and become meaningless. The demon attacks on the city of Magincia during the fall of 2007, based on events in the single player games, were a form of punishment for the city's Pride. For another example of the importance of Humility as expressed within UO, see the article on the Shield of Recognition.

Lord Blackthorn's Code of Virtues

In Ultima V, Lord Blackthorn, the tyrant who ruled in Lord British's absence, codified the Britannian Virtues into a set of draconian laws.

Virtue	Law
Honesty	Thou shalt not lie, or thou shalt lose thy tongue.
Compassion	Thou shalt help those in need, or thou shalt suffer the same need.
Valor	Thou shalt fight to the death if challenged, or thou shalt be banished as a coward.
Justice	Thou shalt confess to thy crime and suffer its just punishment, or thou shalt be put to death.
Sacrifice	Thou shalt donate half of thy income to charity, or thou shalt have no income.
Honor	If thou dost lose thine own honour, thou shalt take thine own life.
Spirituality	Thou shalt enforce the laws of virtue, or thou shalt die as a heretic.
Humility	Thou shalt humble thyself to thy superiors, or thou shalt suffer their wrath.

Blackthorn's Code is a good illustration of the fact that the Virtues always come from one's own self rather than the norms of society; codifying ethics into law doesn't automatically make evil people good. Further, unethical lawmakers can take the Virtues and turn them into something that is quite contrary to what Virtues actually stand for.

External Links

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ===Active Virtues===
 :* [[Compassion]]: ''A Heart'' (NPC escort quests / resurrect others with up to 80% full health)
+:* [[Honesty]]: ''An Open-Palmed Hand'' ("Lost" items / NPC merchant discount)
 :* [[Honor]]: ''A Chalice'' (Honoring then killing monsters / walk amidst monsters without being attacked)
 :* [[Justice]]: ''A Set of Scales'' (Killing [[red]]s / increased [[power scrolls]] amounts)
@@ Line 20: / Line 21: @@
 ===Inactive Virtues===
-:* [[Honesty]]: ''An Open-Palmed Hand'' (inactive)
 :* [[Humility]]: ''A Shepherd’s Crook'' (inactive)
 :* [[Spirituality]]: ''An [[Ankh]]'' (inactive)