The Dungeon of Despise

Ultima IX Dungeon Design

Before we dive into Despise itself, we need talk about dungeon design in general.  The origins of dungeon design and more broadly level design begins with the OG dungeons of tabletop RPGs.  In fact, the first Ultimas and video games were inspired by or even translations of tabletop games with a heavier mechanical focus as opposed to a narrative driving the player’s actions.  These early levels tended to be randomly generated and were used with the goal of gaining treasure from enemies and occasionally to kill one particular enemy type.  The money would then be used to raise your stats or health – sounds like gold->XP of early D&D. 

As the technology progressed, the dungeons became more hand-crafted and goal oriented.  By Ultima 4, the dungeons posed interesting navigational challenges with a variety of obstacles like secret doors, traps, winding paths, and dead ends plus rooms for combat encounters.  Often dungeons would require going down a level in order to access a different part of the current level.  The complicated pathing made traversing levels a kind of navigational puzzle, with significant variation between dungeons on how to traverse them.  One dungeon even required using an alternate entrance that started you at the dungeon’s bottom level.

Ultima 5 dungeons were designed to slow your progress to the bottom as you sought the underworld to retrieve various plot relevant items such as the shards. Often the navigational component was less complex in these dungeons vs Ultima 4.   Ultima 6 simplified dungeons with a greater focus on building smaller, more immersive environments.  The structures were intended to portray their intended role be that a prison, cave system, dragon roost, or mine.  The enemies encountered in these locations were also more defined to what might be expected in such terrain such as dragons, skeletons, or vermin.  The dungeons themselves also felt more secondary to the central plot with a focus on completing side quests or gathering pieces of a map in order to find the silver tablet so important to the Ultima 6’s plot. 

Ultima 7 significantly scaled back dungeon design with a fully seamless single map world.  These dungeons still focused on creating fitting environments for the dungeon’s purpose, but the smaller scale reduced the complexity of their design.  Further these dungeons lacked the space and 3-dimensionality for significant navigational challenges.  The dungeons did, however, place a greater emphasis on puzzles.  The items to be collected also varied significantly, and not even every dungeon had to be visited to complete the game.

As this commentary will show, Ultima 9’s take on dungeons is a natural consequence of Ultima’s dungeon progression rather than a major new take on dungeons.  The dungeons you encounter in U9 are filled with puzzles with an even greater variety than U7 was able to provide.  Further, U9 attempted to provide multi-level structures built to fit into the world/lore background for the dungeon (usually). Navigational challenges were even made a more significant component of dungeon traversal.  The dungeons did return to having a common, central plot focus similar to Ultima 4; and similar to U4, you start at the bottom of Hythloth and need to escape it from its entrance.  Another notable feature of U9’s dungeons seems to borrow from Ultima Underworlds with an emphasis on NPCs that you encounter and can help along the way. Further it borrows from Underworld 2 and Ultima 8’s puzzle design with an emphasis on 3d navigation. You could say that U9 simply added UW2 and U8 elements onto U7 dungeon design just with multiple maps.

In general, Ultima IX’s dungeon design follows a few key principles. Develop a layout and architectural design that fits with the dungeon’s story.  Have the dungeon reach deeper and deeper underground until you reach the base of a column – it is key that the column feels far below the surface.  Further, the column must include a Wyrmguard and a glyph. Lastly, incorporate NPCs and/or puzzles that relate either to the virtue or anti-virtue.

Some examples of this principle being performed well include Despise and Wrong in how they handle NPCs and dialog.  Despise gives the Avatar situations where they can show mercy and compassion.  Wrong similar focuses on righting in-justices committed on those imprisoned there.  Deceit is a little different as it focuses the Avatar on dealing with and defeating illusions and deceitful creatures like Mimics.  Not all dungeons followed this principle well; however, with Hythloth and the Abyss failing to capture Pride or Spirituality in any clear sense.  Both dungeons, however, were respectively preluded by a focus on the hazards of pride and showcasing of spirituality in the Well of Souls.

Despise

We will now take a deeper look at the first dungeon the player will encounter.  Going back to the first principle, the dungeons should be designed with a particular backstory.  These backstories, however, need not to be heavily tied to the canonical lore of these dungeons.  In prior Ultimas, Despise was a cave system with limited complexity in its design while also usually being the easiest of the dungeons.  In U9, the lore gives Despise a lived-in and artificial dungeon backstory.  At least in this case, the lore is built up and incorporated enough in the design for this Despise to fit seamlessly with prior Ultima canon.

The backstory for Despise is based on the common subversion of the “We ARE Struggling Together” trope.  In this trope, the group is united only by a single common purpose but are otherwise quite discordant.  A common subversion of this trope is where the group (usually brothers) are given a task only for them to fail because they couldn’t work together even once.  The mage Kiran had a father who enchanted various items in his day and left his son a magical shield.  Kiran’s brothers didn’t get along well, so Kiran hide the shield in Despise turning the dungeon into a big puzzle.  The brothers were each given a clue to the location of one of four gemstones, which together would reveal the shield.  Of course, they failed, possibly never even attempting to find any of the gemstones.  Somehow a group of farmers got hold of the clues and attempted to get the stones for themselves only to get separated and trapped in the dungeon.

Unfortunately, Ultima IX’s journal leaves little in the way of information and Kiran’s own compendium doesn’t imply much about the dungeon itself.  We are left to presume that much of the man-made portions of the dungeon were built by Kiran or perhaps his father.   It is also possible the dungeon was already built by previous inhabitants.  The dungeon itself seems developed for a small population to live within it.  There are even deserted guard posts in the dungeon, but the books in the game leave little clue as to who was posted here: Britannian guards, Wyrmguard soldiers, or maybe even guys hired by Kiran to manage the place.

It certainly seems that something is lacking in the lore and the game journal would have been the best place to describe these details.  Still the information and features in and around Despise leave tangible yet tantalizing clues regarding the dungeon’s recent history.  The Kiran shield quest is also a nice addition to what would otherwise be a simple and linear dungeon.

The layout of the dungeon is little odd following a long linear path as opposed to a more boxy or circular construction.  Given the dungeon’s history as a cave, it could be posited Despise was built this way to follow the natural contours of the original cave system.  The true oddities come in the form of the rooms found along the way.  Past the entrance we get to a T-junction with a storeroom down one path, which feels sensible.  The large antechamber with the pillars down the other path seems odd, so we must assume the room was built or altered this way by Kiran.  Two paths beyond lead to a fountain/pool room.  The weird antechamber followed by a pool room makes me think we off to see the queen being moved from one extravagant room after another. The dungeon progresses through a few more rooms including a dining hall and a chapel.  These rooms offer yet more clues about the “guy in Winged armor” that resides here.  He has a lute, a bow, and loves to eat…

uh oh, I’m having U7 flashbacks here…

Eventually we reach natural caverns on the way to the column chamber.  There is little branching at all in the dungeon, but several secret areas do present themselves along our path.  As presentient for our first true dungeon, these areas were not far off the main path nor difficult to find, detect, or pursue.  The puzzles throughout were also fairly simple being little more complex than that seen in Stonegate.  The few traps in the dungeon are well-telegraphed by the previous party of “adventurers”, and giant rats and small giant spiders are little threat even at this level.  Though the Wyrmguard at the end is a dangerous opponent, his low health and desire to surrender before death makes him easy to take down; especially when equipped with a Flaming Sword or moderate damage weapon.  Despise certainly proved to be a well-designed dungeon if a bit easy and boring on replays.   

NPCs and Compassion

The last point to cover is the NPCs within Despise and how they and the dungeon as a whole relate to the virtue of Compassion.  There are 5 named NPCs (well one is a corpse) within Despise. Four of these are farmers down on their luck and strained by the mayor’s tax policy.  You encounter the first two (Castro and Felix) near the entrance as they are locked in the storeroom.  Overhearing their conversation does provide some clues as to what is happening.  There is a villain wearing that winged armor, so he must be another of those Wyrmguard like Colando you ran into near Stonegate.  This Wyrmguard must have run into these guys and locked them up.

The pair are clearly very hungry and probably haven’t been feed or provided water in days.  In fact, if you leave them there, they will die.  Because you know they are trapped in the storeroom, you are not ignorant of their plight, therein you have a choice to make: free them or leave them to die. So, whether you choose to leave them or prefer not to decide, you have still made a choice and your karma will be impacted by it.  Here is thus your first test of compassion in this dungeon – be compassionate in rescuing them or show disdain for their lot in life.  While inaction is often not considered an act of hatred, it carries with it some hallmarks of unvirtuous behavior: fear of the jailer or disdain for others whose circumstances and choices have resulted in being placed in a bad situation. Disdain is a form of hatred as much as direct violence.  

In true Ultima fashion, your virtuous action is rewarded with clues and information regarding the Kiran stones. Though you can forgo the specific clues regarding two of the stones should you so desire.  One stone is located in the pillars room down the passage, and the second clue actually refers to a stone located in waterfall cavern near the end of the dungeon.

The next NPC you may encounter, assuming you find him, is already dead.  He didn’t make it, and it doesn’t take long to figure out what killed him.  The spilled bottle implies he drank from the nearby fountain and other clues in the room imply the fountain is most certainly deadly.  While there is little you can do for Mourdin, his death has acted as a warning for the player.  You can retrieve the armor he purchased as well as the Kiran clue.  At least you can make his death not be in vain if you can retrieve the Kiran shield and use it in your quest to save others.  A noble sentiment failed by the weaknesses of the shield.  It only provides 5 extra karma and protection slightly better than a buckler. 

The last of the adventurers is Thadious who has found one of the gemstones but is now stuck in a death trap.  You must hurry to rescue him before the walls close in on him and crush him.  There is a simple switch that will reverse the trap letting him escape.  If you rescue him, he will thank you.  As a reward, he will provide you with the Kiran stone even if you refuse the reward.  He views it as a small price in return for saving his life and has little interest in exploring dungeons ever again.  He also provides a little more detail regarding the Kiran stones.

If you take too long or simply refuse to save him thinking it will ensure you get the Kiran stone, you will be rewarded with having to face the same death trap yourself with no one to help.  The trap is quite insidious actually for Kiran.  Clearly, he intended for his brothers to work together throughout the dungeon, but if they didn’t, at least one of his brothers would be dead. Before you reach the column chamber, you will have the ability to gain the Kiran shield by placing each of the stones onto of the colored pillars.  It is interesting that aside from the clues themselves being separated, a single person could have gained all of the stones.  Though admittedly, the death pit would be difficult without help. 

The last NPC in the dungeon is the Wyrmguard Ooli.  He hints at your prior history without stating who he was before.  He fights you as best as he can and is fueled by hate.  When he is wounded and dear death, he tells you he is Iolo and tries desperately to convince you of his identity.  It is in fact Iolo who has been corrupted by the Guardian into serving him.  As shown in more detail with Julia later in the game, the Guardian likely focuses on developing sense of being betrayed by the Avatar in The Companions.  Indeed, it isn’t hard to fill in the blanks for Iolo’s situation.  Iolo was left on Serpent Isle with Gwenno and Shamino never seeing or hearing from the Avatar again for yet another 200 years.  At some point, the trio managed to get back to Britannia, but it must have felt that the Avatar had run off back to Earth yet again – abandoning his friends.

Near death, Ooli begins begging for life giving us our last opportunity for Compassion in Despise – mercy.  You can choose to believe Ooli is Iolo. and show him mercy for fighting you.  You could also decide this is some trick, but in doing so, you would be killing a man who is begging for his life.  Such an act carries with it a lack of empathy and mercy for the individual.  Unfortunately, the game gives little in the way of options – either you believe he is Iolo or you must kill him. There is no other way to get the glyph. It is unfortunate that you cannot disbelieve him but still show mercy or believe he is Iolo and kill him to attacking you.  After this encounter, it seems the Avatar believes Ooli was Iolo whether he killed him or not.  If you decided to kill Ooli, we can imagine the Avatar removed Ooli’s helmet and saw that it was in fact Iolo that he killed.

The Columns

Through the descriptions we have received throughout the Compassion plot and in later parts of the game, these columns behave like the Blackrock generators from Ultima VII with a Shadowlord dark aura frosting.  Each column spreads a strong corrupting influence in the surroundings while spreading the Guardian’s will and voice into the heads of those nearby.  The closer to the column one goes, the greater the impact.  Both Julia and Iolo show that the columns get more powerful by proximity.  Only trauma and/or a strong spirituality seems to be potent enough to shock someone to fight off some of this influence: Iolo’s near death, Aleena’s husband being taken away, and Sarah being the dedicated shrine keeper to Compassion.  Still the Avatar is likely unique in being able to resist these influences so ably.  The Avatar is certainly highly spiritual in the Virtues, and the connection to the Guardian (as an Ultima twin) would provide some nullifying effect as well.

This motif of people fighting against these insidious unvirtuous influences will be regularly seen throughout Ultima IX.  Even Lord British will throw off the influences of apathy and gain a strong spiritualness to fight for his kingdom.  Something to keep in mind regarding these influences is they need not have been immediate.  The columns have had 20 years to slowly work on the will and virtue of the people. The key is not to turn people around in one 180-degree turn but instead use 180 one-degree turns.  Reduce their will, make them apathetic, and turn them slowly.  Only when the mirror is shoved in their faces do they look on in horror at the eyes looking back at them.  It is unfortunate that for so many it took tragedy to get them to finally see themselves.  At least, this time some were saved from seeing further tragedy thanks to the external influence of the Avatar.  It is a shame and key point of Ultima IX that people and its rulers required the Avatar to act as the external savior, once again.