Ultima 5 was developed and published by ORIGIN Systems, Inc. and released in 1988. The game is role-playing and uses the basics of the Ultima 4 engine. But one will find there a lot more action and world interactivity, and deeper characters than the “signpost” NPCs of Ultima 4. In this Ultima, the game player, the Avatar and the Hero of Britannia, are called back to deal with a new threat. The tyrant Blackthorn, who now rules the land after the disappearance of Lord British, enforces the virtues upon the will of the people, humiliating their importance in the process. Behind Blackthorn are the Shadowlords, Nosfentor, the Shadowlord of Cowardice; Astaroth, the Shadowlord of Hatred; and Faulinei, the Shadowlord of Falsehood, terrorizing the countryside. They represent the anti-thesis to the three Principles of Truth, Love, and Courage.