True to form, Mythic have ended the week by looking at the antithesis of the Virtue that has been their focus for the week. Since this week saw them looking at the Virtue of Sacrifice, Covetous is the dungeon under discussion today:

“Covetous” — Having or showing a great desire to possess something, typically something belonging to someone else.

Yes the antithesis of Sacrifice — Covetous.

Located south of Minoc, Covetous first appeared in Ultima 4. At that time it contained the Orange Stone and was heavily guarded by orcs and trolls.

Just as other dungeons were sealed off, Covetous was also sealed at the end of Ultima 4. Come U5 it had to be reopened in order to provide access to the Underworld and to retrieve one of the shards from the Gem of Immortality.

Covetous was joined with the Dungeon Wrong in Ultima 6. This was where the Heftimus McPry’s scrap of Treasure Map was found (as mentioned in a previous entry).

In Ultima 7, the entire upper level of Covetous was destroyed by the Britannian Mining Company for its large quantities of Blackrock. Blackrock is a rare mineral known for its anti-magical properties.

Finally, in U9, Covetous was reduced to an abandoned mine. The bottom layer had been flooded with water, and the dungeon contained hoards of restless undead. However, it also contained a fair amount of blackrock left behind, as well as gems to sell.

Take a look at the Ultima Codex for more information on Blackrock and it’s uses: http://bit.ly/19ZsOwC

Ah, blackrock.

Mythic also decided to have a bit of fun with the concept of Sacrifice, and released another “card” (as I have come to think of these images) showing the goings-on inside the studio:

This demands Justice!

They’ll evidently be focusing on Honor next week. Now, if only there were some way for them to put the finishing touches on the Paladin class, so that she could be released in the game in concert with one of the Honor-related updates.