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The Eight Virtues of Lord British
The Virtues of Lord British are made up from a system of three principles which are combined to form eight virtues. The virtues are meant to be used together, and if any one is taken to the extreme they can cause unvirtuous acts. Thus, one should not follow only one or two virtues, such as Honesty and Honor, but should conform to all at once in order to do the most good in the world. Each principle and virtue has a mantra, color, sigil, city, and opposition associated with it. That being said, here are the three principles and eight virtues conceived of by Lord British:
The Three Principles
- Truth - The orderly principle of the virtues. Truth is that which is factual and real and logical. The mantra of Truth is Ver, its color is light blue, its sigil is the Book of Truth, and its keep is the Lycaeum on Verity Isle. The opposite of Truth is Falsehood.
- Love - The chaotic principle of the virtues. Love is an emotional bond between all living things and the self. The mantra of Love is Amo, its color is light yellow, its sigil is the Candle of Love, and its keep is Empath Abbey in the Great Wood near Yew. The opposite of Love is Hate.
- Courage - The balanced principle. Courage is the will to struggle for ones beliefs and others. The mantra of Courage is Cor, its color is light red, its sigil is the Bell of Courage, and its keep is Serpent's Hold off the coast near Trinsic in the Valorian Isles. The opposite of Courage is Cowardice.
The Eight Virtues
- Honesty - Derived from Truth. Honesty is the commitment to try to never deceive oneself or another. The mantra of Honesty is Ahm, its color is blue, its sigil is an open hand with the palm outward, and its city is Moonglow. The shrine of Honesty is located to the north of Verity Isle on Dagger Isle. The opposite of Honesty is Deceit.
- Compassion - Derived from Love. Compassion is a complete empathy for any and all living beings. The mantra of Compassion is Mu, its color is yellow, its sigil is a heart, and its city is Britain. The shrine of Compassion is located to the north of Britain, in the desert of Compassion. The opposite of Compassion is Despise.
- Valor - Derived from Courage. Valor is the will to stand up for oneself even in the face of danger. The mantra of Valor is Ra, its color is red, it sigil is an upright sword, and its city is Jhelom. The shrine of Compassion is located to the east of Jhelom in the Valorian Isles. The opposite of Valor is Destard.
- Justice - Derived from Truth and Love. Justice is the true knowledge of what is right and wrong and the love of that which is right. The mantra of Justice is Beh, its color is green, its sigil is a set of balanced scales, and its city is Yew. The shrine of Justice is located to the east of Yew on the outskirts of the Great Wood. The opposite of Justice is Wrong.
- Sacrifice - Derived from Love and Courage. Sacrifice is the helping of others at a cost to oneself. The mantra of Sacrifice is Cah, its color is orange, its sigil is a tear drop, and its city is Minoc. The shrine of Sacrifice is located to the east of Minoc. The opposite of Sacrifice is Covetous.
- Honor - Derived from Truth and Courage. Honor is the courage to uphold that which is true. The mantra of Honor is Summ, its color is purple, its sigil is a chalice, and its city is Trinsic. The shrine of Honor is located near the coast in the jungles south of Trinsic. The opposite of Honor is Shame.
- Spirituality - Derived from all three principles. Spirituality is the struggle to better oneself and others and the knowledge of the sanctity of all beings. The mantra of Spirituality is Om, its color is white, its sigil is an ankh, and its city is Skara Brae. The shrine of Spirituality is located to the east of Skara Brae or to the northwest of Trinsic. The opposite of Spirituality is Hythloth.
- Humility - Derived from the opposite of the lack of all three principles. Humility is the knowledge of ones true place in the world gained through the knowledge of the worth of all beings. The mantra of Humility is Lum, its color is black, its sigil is a shepherd's crook, and its city is New Magincia. The shrine of Humility is located on Fire Isle, in the far southeast corner of the world. The opposite of Humility is Pride.
My Thoughts on the Virtues
A point of contention between myself and many other virtue scholars is that the virtues are a balanced system, and that any one individual unbalanced virtue, if not coupled with a complimentary virtue, such as Honesty or Honor coupled with Compassion or Sacrifice, can cause harm. I have, however, found this to be largely true through experience.
A few examples might include an honorable but unsacrificial knight who may follow orders which are ethically wrong, such as illegally oust a family from their home for their land that his lord wants to have and cite that he did it because he swore fealty to his lord. Another might be a sacrificial but dishonorable man who may give away all he has to the poor without thinking about the obligations he holds towards his family to provide for and protect them. Yet another might be an honest yet unsacrificial military officer who would give up important troop locations which may allow the enemy to win to save his own hide.
As you can see, these can happen while still being true to the singular virtue but are unethical and may betray the rest of the virtues. One must do their best to follow them all as a whole in order to do right in the world. One must rationally think out their problems and find the best solution through the virtues to solve them. If a virtuous knight who has sworn fealty is commanded to do something wrong, then the knight must also remember that he has first sworn fealty to the virtues above all. One must think of the consequences of their sacrifice before they give all they have away. One must always consider the ramifications of their actions to their reasonably possible extents before they act, but this of course does not mean that one cannot act quickly. In these snap judgments one should consider as much as they can. It is admittedly and rather noticeably sloppier, but it is necessary in some circumstances.
When the virtues are used as a whole in balance with one another, there is a very slim possibility that one's actions shall come back to haunt them in the end. When the virtues are in balance, good follows the follower. In Balance one can change the world for the better.
(Note: All shrine, keep, and city locations are given for Ultima Online and do not necessarily reflect their locations in Britannia Prime.)
Lord Phoenix
High Priest of the Temple of Paladine
Councilor of Balance
The Eight Virtues of the Gargoyles
My knowledge of the belief system of the gargoyles is unreliable at best when it comes to the finer details of their virtues. What I do know, however, is that the gargoyles base their belief structure off the same form as did Lord British. They are composed of three principles, which go on to form eight virtues, each with its own mantra and respective color and meaning. Much like the virtues of Lord British, they are meant to be used as a whole, and not singularly, lest they loose structure and fall apart. As the gargoyles state in their Book of Circles, which describes their virtue system,"A circle has no end. It continues forever, with all parts equally important in the success of the whole." To that end, here is a list of their principles and virtues:
The Three Principles
- Control - The orderly principle of the gargoyles. Its mantra is Un and its color is light blue.
- Passion - The chaotic principle of the gargoyles. Its mantra is Or and its color is light yellow.
- Diligence - The balanced principle of the gargoyles. Its mantra is Us and its color is light red.
The Eight Virtues
- Direction - Derived from Control. Its mantra is Trak-Tas and its color is blue.
- Feeling - Derived from Passion. Its mantra is Sent and its color is yellow.
- Persistence - Derived from Diligence. Its mantra is Te-Per-Tas and its color is red
- Balance - Derived from Control and Passion. Its mantra is Mis-Tas and its color is green.
- Achievement - Derived from Passion and Diligence. Its mantra is Le-In-Tas and its color is orange.
- Precision - Derived from Control and Diligence. Its mantra is Ben-In-Tas and its color is purple.
- Singularity - Derived from all three principles. Its mantra is Pri-Tas and its color is white.
- Order - Derived from the opposite of none of the three principles. Its mantra is Ord and its color is black.
Lord Phoenix
High Priest of the Temple of Paladine
Councilor of Balance
The Tenets of Paladine
These tenets were laid down on paper over fifty years ago (would now be over 100 - Phoenix) by myself, and are copied here for your use.
- Thou shalt not harm those who hath not harmed thee first.
- Show compassion to all living things, no matter how evil.
- Be honorable in all matters, even when dealing with dishonorable people.
- Show valor and do not flee from battles unless grievously wounded.
- Be humble, for pride brings down even the mightiest of heros.
- Be honest under all circumstances, for truth will reward you later.
- Know thyself, for you are your own greatest ally.
- Be willing to sacrifice all for the good of others.
- Justice must be served, but remember, Justice is both truth and love for both the criminal and victims.
- Follow nothing blindly, for it is our differences of opinions and ideas which make us a good people.
Lord Phoenix
High Priest of the Temple of Paladine
Councilor of Balance
