Warriors of Destiny
Warriors of Destiny is the name given by the UO developers for what is described as the long-term, epic scenario or event cycle that heralds the coming of the Shadowlords.
The name comes from one of the single-player games upon which UO is based, specifically "Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny."
The Warriors of Destiny event cycle has, at the time of writing (Summer 2008), thus far consisted of the following Chapters.
- Prologue: Inu the Crone
In this chapter, a strange woman from the Tokuno Islands appeared in Britannia, and began to make incoherent statements about the future that had a funny habit of coming true. The Void Shadow Dungeon was introduced and players finally got to see the Ethereal Void, which would play an important role later. Also, Blackrock began to reappear in the lands.
- Chapter I: Magincia Invasion
In this chapter, the City of Magincia was invaded, and largely smashed, by Demonic entities. Some said this was a punishment for the city's Prideful ways.
- Chapter II: Mad Mage
In this chapter, the Blackrock Detector, a long-delayed project of the "Mad Mage," Kronos, was completed. Instead of doing what it was supposed to do, it tore a hole in the fabric of reality, opened a gate to the Ethereal Void, and allowed the Shadowlords to enter Britannia. Towards the end of this, the NPC Andrew, a servant of the Shadowlords, made his first appearance.
- Chapter III: The Vanguard.
This chapter featured attacks by the Vanguard, the advance forces of the Shadowlords. Also, mysterious, powerful entities known as The Six eventually began to appear.
- Chapter IV: Hope for the Future
This Chapter featured the murder of the Ruling Council, and a desperate race against time to track down their killers. The Followers of Armageddon were revealed to be in league with the Shadowlords. Given the events of this Chapter, it can only be assumed that the title is sarcastic.
As of the August 2008, this event cycle is not yet completed. Things show no signs of getting better anytime soon.