The latest, predictably lengthy update posted to the Shroud of the Avatar website contains, as we have come to expect, another snippet of the game’s backstory, which has been accompanied by another puzzle piece-shaped snippet of the Island of Novia’s map. Much like the preceding puzzle pieces, this piece of the map has additional details on it, mostly in the form of runic text denoting landmarks:

I will draw your attention to the fact that the New Britannian text overlaid on the mountain range that takes up much of the middle of the piece spells out “Serpent’s Spine”.

Now, here’s a snippet of the story excerpt from the update. In it, we get a bit of a glimpse of the…more futuristic technology that is present in at least some parts of the world:

Brittany, the City State of the Oracle, is the crown jewel of Novia, its largest city by far. While much of Novia still struggles to survive each day, Brittany is a land of majesty, truly a city apart. Surrounded by farms sufficient to feed its large number of inhabitants, with water flowing easily through a wondrous array of aqueducts, canals and reservoirs. The Dam of Regalis, one of the wonders of this world, can be found here as well, harnessing the elemental power of the dammed up river into etheric energy, used by the city for so much. The people of Brittany walk at night under lights man-made, brighter than the moon. A large central energy tower is here as well, using an immense etheric surge to protect the people of Brittany invisibly from the forces ravaging much of Novia.

You can check out the full excerpt at the Ultima Codex’s Shroud of the Avatar story reference page. The ever-evolving map of Novia, meanwhile, can be found at the Island of Novia page.