Linguistic Dragon has posted another entry in his ongoing chronicle of his journey through Ultima 4. After his last outing, he was…much closer to ending the game, at any rate:

It strikes me that the terminology for an avatar to be can be a little confusing at times. An eight-part avatar is not automatically the Avatar, despite the fact that that’s kind of what it suggests, seeing as there’s eight parts to the code of virtues that Avatar must abide by… I’m not sure what a better term would be for one who’s attained enlightenment in all eight virtues but not yet completed the Quest of the Avatar proper yet. Almost-Avatar? Junior Avatar?

Of course, this still left him with the unenviable task of visiting each of the eight anti-virtue (vice?) dungeons:

Having expanded the party to seven, and with an excursion into the dangerous world of the Britannian underground looming, I opted to take some time to gather what supplies I was able, and outfit my fellows with the best equipment I could get. That meant a trip to Buccaneer’s Den, where I sold a few of the Mystic Weapons I’d obtained in Serpent’s Hold – not that I doubted their strength, but I had learned long ago that range tended to trump power in this age of Britannia. In a sense, that almost seemed fitting, based on the lessons I’d learned – that there are things more important than brute strength and raw power. (I’d be rather surprised if reflecting that idea was a conscious part of the design of Ultima IV’s combat system, but I must admit I do find it fairly fitting for the theme of the game, if only in a small way.) After some negotiations with some questionable merchants (this was Buccaneer’s Den, after all), I along with Iolo and Mariah were brandishing magic wands, while Dupre, Shamino and Julia had magic bows at the ready. Poor Katrina was still stuck with her sling, but she assured the rest of us she was quite content. We were all clad in the mystic robes we’d found in Empath Abbey’s grove, and while we were in the Den we saw fit to spend the rest of our funds on magic gems for mapping purposes within the dungeons, and reagents for whatever magical assistance we could make use of in the depths. We even made a foray into the forest west of Britain in order to gather a little nightshade – not much, but enough to provide that little boost, just in case. Katrina and Mariah earned enough experience during these preparations to gain a level each.

…

Going into this playthrough, I was determined to refrain from making use of the dungeon teleportation spells, the Up, Down, and X-it spells. They’re useful things, to be sure, and I made copious and repeated use of them during my first time through the game (and many of them after), but I’ve never really taken the time to explore the dungeons proper, or at least try and push my way through them without zapping myself past all (well, most) of the obstacles. It does present an interesting trade-off, though – expediency for experience. Actually pressing through all the obstacles, while time-consuming and taking a toll on resources, provides a fair amount of experience, because these aren’t just the orcs and rogues and skeletons that wander through the overworld — these are the zorns, the balrons, the dragons, the liches, the reapers — the harder monsters that deliver experience at a more rapid rate. Either you can zip through the dungeons and claim their prizes, or you can take your time and get rewarded for the experience. I like the fact both options are possible, as I’ve had uses for both approaches in my past playthroughs.

He ended this session with half of the dungeons completed, though:

So there ended my session for the day, with half of the stones I needed in my pocket and on the doorstep of the hidden city of wisdom. Guess what my plan for next time is!

As always, we look forward to his next outing. It cannot be said that Linguistic does not do an excellent job — as befits his Dragon Name — of telling the tale of his Avatar!