Linguistic Dragon has continued his journey through Ultima 4, and indeed has found time to post two separate updates about his progress with the game. In the first update, he worked on leveling up in the Virtues…and was able to do one of his favourite things in the game:

Magincia is one of my favorite parts of the game. Exploring the ruins, meeting ghosts and skeletons in varying stages of grief and regret, the missing walls, the encroaching swampland – it’s all very poignant, and a very stark lesson in humility in and of itself. It’s a reminder that there’s a flipside to virtue, and that it can have very dire, lasting effects. The town and its denizens serve as a lesson by way of example of what not to do in contrast to the light, jovial feel from the rest of the settlements. I even love the fact that not everyone in Magincia seems to recognize these lessons – the nobleman who seems very convinced that of course I should have heard of him and his family coming swiftly to mind. Understanding humility in Ultima IV is inextricably tied in to understanding its antithesis is well, and I love that effect, because, as C. S. Lewis puts it in The Screwtape Letters, it’s a particularly delicate virtue, easily shattered by the very fact that once one realizes one is acting humbly, then “almost immediately pride – pride at his own humility – will appear.” It’s even brought up by one of the resident ghosts to beware becoming too proud of your own virtue, lest you lose it in the process. It’s a nice reminder that stands in stark contrast to the rest of virtues and seeking enlightenment in them as the game goes about it, and it’s somehow fitting that attaining anything related to humility, whether it be the rune, the mantra, the stone, or its shrine – is somehow more complex than most of the others.

Anyway. While exploring the ruins of the town, I learned again of the demons that guarded the shrine, and that there existed a silver horn to ward them away. The lady in waiting of the Queen of Love was supposed to know something, so I made a note to myself to stop by Empath Abbey as soon as I was able. I discovered the mantra of pride – MUL – which meant that its reverse was the mantra I wanted. The locals informed me that Nate the snake would tell me of the rune and stone if I asked before it strike, and in return I was told to ask Barren in Paws of the rune, and at the pub in Britain of the black stone. I said hello to Katrina on my way out – I wasn’t experienced enough to bring her into the party, which somewhat disappointed me. I know Katrina gets something a not-entirely-undeserved bad rap as a companion, with all the limitations shepherds generally have, but I’ve always liked her as a character, at least. The only survivor of a ruined city, presumably spared because she actually understood the virtue her home was supposed to honor and represent, sitting there starting out over the ruins. Once again, a poignant image of humility.

Thereafter, he busied himself with gathering the various items needed to complete the game:

With that taken care of, I sailed around the south end of the continent to make my way to Skara Brae, or more accurately, the other islands nearby, where I poked around for a bit before I unearthed the Silver Horn that I would need to get past the demons that guarded the Shrine of Humility. But before I headed there – the Valarian Isles were a lot closer, and I had business at the Shrine of Valor. But first I had to find the rune! The last time I was in Jhelom, I found out nothing about it, but there were people behind locked doors that I couldn’t question. This time, I had magic keys with me, and soon I was rummaging around the passages on the inside of the town walls, looking for a man named Nostro. The poor guy had been trapped within the passages himself, and in reward for helping him out he informed me the rune lay within the southeast tower. With that in hand, it was a quick hop over to the next island, and a few cycles of meditation later, I became a partial avatar in Valor.

…

Since I was sailing around anyway, and I wasn’t too terribly far from the coordinates I’d been given by Jude, I went to go fish up the skull of Mondain from the depths of the sea. Surrounded by little eddies of volcanic activity, I was a little unsettled to have the thing in my inventory, the very skull of the evil wizard that caused so much trouble, directly or through his apprentice and/or progeny, in the past three games. I’ll be glad to destroy this thing in the Abyss.

Do click on through to both articles and give them a thorough read. As always, Linguistic Dragon writes engagingly and at length about his adventures in Britannia, and his particular love for Ultima 4 has made these entries, and the last few before them, even more enjoyable to read.