Lord British
Lord British, or Lord Cantabrigian British, is the fictional ruler of Britannia, a kingdom in the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his video game series Ultima. Origin of the name Ultima series creator Richard Garriott acquired the nickname "British" as a teenager from friends at computer camp who claimed his greeting to them, "Hello", was distinct from the usual American "Hi". The Lord title was later added when he played as dungeon master in his Dungeons & Dragons games. When his first published game Akalabeth was released, the president of the publishing company suggested he use the name in the game, since it was more memorable than his real name. Garriott released Akalabeth: World of Doom and all other Ultima games under the pseudonym, and occasionally appeared in Ultima Online playing as Lord British and meting out justice to his players. He is still known as Lord British. Garriott retained the trademark rights to the name Lord British with its associated symbols, and the character appears in his game Tabula Rasa as General British. Origins of the character in the Ultima games Neither the Avatar nor Lord British are born in Sosaria, but come from Earth via the moongates. When British comes to Sosaria, the character Mondain, an evil wizard, is still young. They have a battle where British is victorious, driving Mondain away from the kingdom. In Ultima I Mondain seeks revenge. A stranger (who will become the Avatar) deals with Mondain this time, but three-fourths of the world mysteriously disappears for causes unknown. Numerous plotlines and side quests in the Ultima games revolve around Lord British's adventures or public works projects. In the games, he has a key role in founding the Museum, Conservatory and other institutions of the Britannian society. In the Ultima series In the Ultima series, Lord British rules from his throne inside Castle Britannia, and continuously provides healing, resurrection and other miscellaneous help for the Avatar (the main character) and his adventuring party. In the first three Ultima games, British charged a significant sum of money for his services, but would provide them for free from Ultima IV onwards. Throughout the Ultima series, Lord British almost never leaves his castle. The few times he has is in Ultima V, where his absence constitutes the main storyline, at the end of Ultima VI, when he uses a red moongate to travel to the Isle of the Avatar, and in Ultima IX, at one part of the game where he ventures outside the confines of his castle to help the Avatar in a final showdown with Lord Blackthorn. He sends the player, called the Stranger from Another World in the first three games, and afterwards called the Avatar, out to solve whatever problems arise. Assassination of Lord British One of the most famous attributes of Lord British is that he is almost invincible. In every Ultima game in which he has appeared, he is designed to be almost impervious to a player's