Guardian (Ultima)
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| The Guardian | |
|---|---|
| Game series | Ultima |
| First game | Ultima VII: The Black Gate |
| Voiced by | Bill Johnson |
The Guardian is the final villain of the Ultima series of computer role playing games. He is also the series' most frequently recurring villain, being the only character to feature as the main villain in more than one game. In Ultima VII, VIII, IX and Ultima Underworld II he is voiced by the actor Bill Johnson.
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[edit] Personality, Attributes, and Agenda
The Guardian is a powerful extradimensional being that moves across the multiverse, conquering or destroying the worlds in his path. His latest goal is the conquest of Britannia and the subjugation of its people. This brings him into conflict with the Avatar, the hero of Britannia.
The Guardian dwells within the Great Ethereal Void, where he holds nearly omnipotent power. However, despite his vast powers, he is unable to enter into a material dimension such as Britannia unassisted. In Ultima VII: the Black Gate, the Guardian attempts to influence the inhabitants of Britannia into constructing a Black Gate, through which he could physically enter their universe.
The Guardian sees himself as a monotheistic god, often subjugating the inhabitants of the worlds he conquers into worshipping him under the pretext of being their "guardian" (hence his name). Instead of bringing simple destruction, the Guardian seems to take perverse pleasure in transforming his conquests into corrupt parodies of their former selves, obedient to his will. This can be seen in the methods he uses to conquer Britannia as well as in how he rules the lands he has already conquered.
- During Ultima VII The Black Gate, the Guardian convinces 3 particularly easily corrupted inhabitants of Britannia to form The Fellowship, an apparently benevolent cult worshipping the Guardian, which secretly raise resources to build a dimensional portal of blackrock (a magic matter in the Ultima universe) for him to enter.
- During Ultima Underworld II, the Guardian plots a cult in Britania to build for him a Black Gate, a multidimentional portal, for him to enter.
- In Ultima VII Serpent Isle, The Guardian kills the balance Serpent, a god-like entity who maintain balance in the world of Serpent Isle, just to attract the Avatar to the Ethereal Void, where the Guardian has influence.
- On Ultima VIII Pagan, The Guardian throws the Avatar in the world of Pagan (one of his corrupted controlled worlds) as a prison.
- In Ultima IX, the Guardian succeeds in conquering Britain, and proceed in crushing the last remains of the Virtues influences.
Richard Garriott has described the Guardian as the personification of hedonism, concerned only about himself and furthering his own goals and pleasure at the expense of all other living things.[citation needed] This is in contrast to the Avatar, a being who personifies selflessness and putting the needs and concerns of others above his own.
[edit] Character History
[edit] Ultima VII: The Black Gate
The Guardian is first seen as a giant red face that appears on the Avatar's computer screen at the beginning of the game. He proclaims:
| “ | Avatar! Know that Britannia has entered into a new age of enlightenment! Know that the time has finally come for the one true Lord of Britannia to take His place at the head of His people! Under my guidance, Britannia will flourish, and all the people shall rejoice and pay homage to their new... Guardian! Know that you, too, shall kneel before me, Avatar. You, too, shall soon acknowledge my authority - for I shall be your companion... your provider... and your master! | ” |
The Avatar is brought to Britannia by a Moongate soon afterwards. As he explores the land, it soon becomes apparent that his is journey is indeed being monitored by the Guardian, whose voice can periodically be heard commenting on the various situations the Avatar encounters. At first an enigmatic character, the Guardian's commentary is often mocking, but at times appears to be almost helpful (on a couple occasions he warns the Avatar of approaching danger, and also admonishes the Avatar for stealing).
Ultimately, the Avatar learns from the Timelord that the Guardian is an evil extradimensional entity, a powerful being that enters into worlds and proceeds to conquer them with his god-like powers. The Guardian is also revealed as the source of the crises plaguing Britannia: 3 blackrock generators that focus his power into Britannia's dimension are causing magic-users to go insane, disrupting the moongates, and allowing him to speak into the minds of Britannia's people.
The Guardian is also revealed to be the true force behind The Fellowship, an aggressively proselytizing organization that has used its seeming benevolence to infiltrate every facet of Britannian society. While most members of the Fellowship believe the organization is merely a path to enlightenment, the high-ranking members know the truth: every member of the Fellowship is actually worshipping the Guardian as their god.
The Guardian has been using the Fellowship to construct a massive Black Gate on the Isle of the Avatar, which would allow the Guardian to physically enter Britannia from the Great Ethereal Void and conquer the land. The Avatar succeeds in foiling the Guardian's plot and destroying the Black Gate, but as a result he is unable to return home to Earth as the Black Gate was the last existing extradimensional doorway left in Britannia.
[edit] Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds
In Labyrinth of Worlds, the Guardian seeks his revenge against the Avatar and Lord British by creating an impregnable dome of Blackrock around Castle British during a party celebrating a one-year destruction of the Black Gate, trapping all Britania leaders, including the Avatar, his companions, and Lord British, inside.
In the sewers beneath the castle, the Avatar finds a small Blackrock multifaceted dome that acts as a dimensional gateway, transporting the Avatar to eight worlds (from different dimensions) controlled by the Guardian, involved with the Guardian's spell which created the dome. The Avatar proceeds to free these worlds from the Guardian's grip, weakening the Guardian's magic. Meanwhile the Guardians persuade many castle's residents through visions and dreams, escalating to murdering of many people loyal to Britain, and then a showdown between Guardian's forces and the Avatar.
The worlds visited in Ultima Underworld II are:
- The "Prison Tower" - Situated on Fyrna, a world ruled by goblins.
- Killorn Keep - A fortress floating in the sky.
- The Ice Caves of Anodunos - A frozen world littered with the remnants of a civilization destroyed by the Guardian.
- The Scintillus Academy - A mage school, devastated by the Guardian.
- The Tomb of Praecor Loth - A hero from the same world as Killorn Keep, in the world of Rhiannon.
- The World of Talorus - An alien world populated by the enigmatic taloroids and the servile vorz.
- The Pits of Carnage - A prison and duelling arena where the Guardian deposits his foes.
- The Ethereal Void - The center of the multiverse, a strange dreamworld with floating glowing paths and teleports.
[edit] Ultima VII: Serpent Isle
In Serpent Isle, Lord British learns that the Guardian knew his plan to use the Black Gate to enter Britannia might fail, so he dispatched his servant Batlin (the founder of the Fellowship) to the long-lost land of Serpent Isle to open another portal for the Guardian to enter. Meanwhile, Batlin fragments the Chaos Serpent, causing cataclysmic events and the imminent destruction of Serpent isle. The Avatar pursues Batlin through Serpent Isle. In the following events, Batlin is slayed by the Guardian for trying to double-cross him by using the portal to become a new god, and Dupre sacrifices his life by using his soul to restore the Chaos Serpent.
The Avatar go to the Great Ethereal Void to restore the Balance Serpent, only to discover it was the Guardian's plot all along, as in the Great Ethereal Void The Guardian hold god-like powers. In the end of the game the Avatar is captured by the Guardian to be thrown to the land of Pagan.
[edit] Ultima VIII: Pagan
| “ | You have been a thorn in my side for far too long, Avatar. Your two worlds will be crushed, Britannia first, then Earth! I shall parade you before their conquered peoples as the fallen idol of a pathetic ideal. I banish you to the world of Pagan... No one here knows of the Avatar... | ” |
The Guardian banishes the Avatar to the world of Pagan, a post-apocalyptic world conquered by the Guardian.
The world is controlled by 4 elemental Titans. The Titans are worshipped as benevolent Gods by Pagan's residents, for protecting the world against "The Destroyer", who destroyed almost all of the land in a cataclysmic event centuries ago. Unaware to the residents, "The Destroyer" is Guardian himself, and the Titans are his mere servants, corrupting Pagan's societies with a "surviving the fittest" mentality.
The Avatar abandon his Virtues in order to defeat the Titans, ultimately draining their powers and becoming the Ethereal Titan himself, and then using his god-like powers to teleport to Britania.
In the game's end cutscene, the Avatar teleport to Britania, only to see a red sky, dragons flying, and a mountain with the face of the Guardian, suggesting the Guardian conquered Britain.
[edit] Ultima IX: Ascension
In the final game in the series, the Guardian has established himself in Britannia, having corrupted the Eight Virtues and through them the people of Britannia. He rules in secret from his fortress stronghold of Terfin, while his will is enforced by his servants Lord Blackthorn and his Wyrmguard knights (many of whom are corrupted former companions of the Avatar). In order to restore Virtue to Britannia, the Avatar must cleanse the shrines of Virtue and remove the Guardian's influence.
After restoring the Eight Virtues, the Avatar finally confronts the Guardian in battle, only to discover that attacking the Guardian only results in injuries to himself. Unable to continue striking at the Guardian, the Avatar is easily defeated. The Avatar then learns the horrible truth: the Guardian is himself, or rather the evil part of himself that he expelled from his body when he became the Avatar.
With the aid of Lord British and the Eight Companions, the Avatar finally devises a plan to rid the multiverse of the Guardian once and for all using the two most powerful magical spells in existence. Confronting the Guardian inside the Great Ethereal Void, the Avatar seals the two of them together within the impenetrable spell Barrier of Life. The Avatar then casts the world-destroying spell of Armageddon, contained by the Barrier of Life so that it only annihilates the Avatar and the Guardian. The two halves, good and evil, merge together to form the constellation of the Ankh in the skies above Britannia.
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