The True Virtues

Truth, Love and Courage are the three underlying principles which make up the eight virtues as defined by Lord British. The destruction of Exodus, the Hellspawn incarnate of evil descendant of Mondain and Mirax, the third and final age of Darkness has been ended and a new land called Britannia has emerged from the old Sosaria. Through an analysis of the root causes of good and evil Lord British was able to define these true virtues for which we should all strive to obtain in order to become an Avatar. This is known as the Quest of the Avatar. The Shrines were uncovered as exploration persisted but we know now the secrets of the eight virtues which make up the wholeness of being an Avatar.

The ankh is the symbol of the Avatar, Avatars are issued them upon completing the Quest of the Avatar. In our shattered legacy of Ultima Online we know that these shrines and virtues carry meaning for us all. It is truely a battle for the hearts and souls of men and women, boys and girls, for us all to spread the word of the quintessential basic axioms of Truth, Love and Courage, and the eight virtues derived from them. To properly complete a shrine quest one must live their life according to the meaning of that virtue, only then will the proper incantation of the mantra and relevant skills yield a successful Ascention for that virtue for the individual. It is important to note that no single virtue is greater than another, and dedication to one does not exclude any of the other virtues.

• Honesty is derived solely from Truth. An honest toungue doth bring rewards of nobility, respect and fairness. The trust garnered by honesty is not to be weighed lightly. Falsehood is the enemy of truth. The mantra for the Shrine of Honesty is "Ahm"
• Compassion is based upon love, for without kindness in one's heart one is cold, callous and full of hate. One must strive to help the needy and respond to the poor and the weak and the downtrodden, one should show mercy to their enemy who tries to flee and be empathetic and caring for others to be truely compassionate. The opposite of love is hatred. The mantra for Compassion is "Mu"
• Valor comes from courage. This is the unyielding confidence and continuation against any odds, a warrior with valor will gladly jump into battle and even die for they know that no ground is holier than where fallen valor lies. The antithesis of Valor is cowardice. Valor's mantra is "Rah"
• Justice is defined as the combination of truth and love. For the just there is fairness and equity for others and themselves, they do not consider one person's word over another's, they weigh the facts and objectively come to reasonable conclusions based upon the evidence without any bias. The unjust are rarely credible, their lack of forthrightedness shows through to the most casual observer. The mantra for Justice is "Beh"
• Truth and courage make up Honor and one can be denoted for this virtue by living up to their word and valiantly defending the Honor of themselves and their companions. Honor is standing tall and avoiding the pitfalls of lesser people who would mock or bring shame upon people. The mantra for Honor is "Summ"
• Sacrifice is the courage to be giving to others through love. Sacrifice is the outright giving to others instead of to oneself. One may see a beggar in the street and give him all the gold he can, this is the sign of a sacrificial soul, one who gives without hesitation and knows the rewards are intrinsic. The mantra for Sacrifice is "Cah"
• Spirituality is the combination of all three truth, love and courage. The Spiritual Soul is able to seek out the moral fortitude to be polite and kind in all their dealings, to be introspective and righteous. One would surely attain this virtue through much practice and patience, the spiritual person is noble and true to all of the truths, loves and courageous acts which bond the spirit as a whole. The mantra for Spirituality is "Om"
• Humility is a different type of virtue moreso derived as being the opposite of arrogant Pride than anything else. While the other virtues show us that belief in oneself is good, there can be excess in this regard to the point of hubris and arrogant pride. One must temper their conduct so as to be humble and pure. Through Humility one may garner more positive dealings with others. The Mantra for Humility is "Lum"

The Codex of Ultimate Wisdom represents the Axiom of all virtue combined and along with the ankh provide an Avatar with quintessential elements to perform their most essential role in the land, to spread the word and let all Britannians know the way of Virtue, the way of Order, the one true path.