Cabirus

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Cabirus
Update Scribe.png
Race Undead human
Sex Male
Appearances Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

Underworld Ascendant

Role Narrator and guide
Location The Stygian Abyss
Interaction Verbal guidance
Dialog 977 lines
Faction Stephen Russell


The Ghost of Sir Cabirus is the narrator of the tale. It is he who brings the Ascendant from Earth to the Stygian Abyss, providing sage advice and commentary through their adventures.

Background

Before the events of Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, the knight Cabirus (‘Cab-eye-rus’- rhymes with ‘virus’) was among the first to brave the Stygian Abyss. Thereafter, he set out to establish an ill-fated and arguably foolishly-thought-out colony within the Abyss. It is rumored that, during his colonization, Cabirus was well known to the Dwarves. Darker rumors exist that he cavorted with goblins, trolls, and Lizardmen as well, but few believe such things.

However, his fledgling colony broke apart after his untimely death. There are many rumors of how he came to die: he himself claims to have been stabbed, while others cite poison, strange magicks, or even natural causes.

His aim in Underworld Ascendant is to guide the Ascendant to heroism in the same way he has previously helped Ishtass and Pir Tama, in order to defeat Typhon.

His earlier efforts to push the Factions to address the threat of Typhon have merely alienated them from him, and they have grown to consider him suspicious, aggressively foolish and demanding.

Lore

The earliest recorded exploration of outsiders venturing into the Stygian Abyss was a small band of humans, led by the stout-hearted knight Cabirus. Cabirus was a dreamer, and held a vision of establishing a utopian colony within the Abyss. Half-remembered stories tell of how he nearly succeeded against all odds. Then the stories tell of how Cabirus’ plans faltered, and fell into ruin. It is presumed he and most of his band were wiped out by the monsters that dwell in the Abyss, where once again darkness and chaos ruled.

In Underworld Ascendant, you return to the Abyss as the Avatar generations after the events of Cabirus’ failed colony.

- from Update 7 (Underworld Ascendant)

Paintings made Sir Cabirus have been (recently) discovered! Besides being the founder of the first colony of men in the Stygian Abyss, he had a gift for painting. It was known that he painted a visual diary of his explorations deep into the Abyss; but only now, more than century later, have a sheaf of his paintings been found.

- from Update 27 (Underworld Ascendant)
"Your journey...

this katabasis...

mirrors that of Gilgamesh, Odin, Izanagi-no-Mikoto...

Ishtass –

His example inspired settlers at Marcaul:

Their ideology, their society.

I once whispered in Ishtass and Pir Tama's ears as I do yours now.

They were... capable, but insufficient.

Will you match that great exploits?

Or surpass them?"
- from Begin Your Ascent, recorded by Cabirus
"After Zeus slew his forebears, the devouring Titans,

the earth begat its greatest monster,

nightmare of the primordial universe:

TYPHON.

Zeus fought this horror for hundreds of years,

before imprisoning it below a volcano.

Here, on the borders of the underworld,

beneath which you stand.

Do you hear? Can you feel that?

Typhon stirs…

Such is the depth of your challenge.

To face down the adversary of mighty Zeus…

Save life from death… Through cleverness, rise.

Join the ranks of heroes of legend.

Will you ascend?"
- from Begining Of The End, recorded by Cabirus
"Cabirus's folly knows no limits. First, he insults us with demands, then threatens us with that which he has no sway over… the elves will not aid us, he says, nor will The Saurians, unless he makes it so. Enduring enough of this specter's demands, I told him that if he spoke to them as he did to us, then he has no allies at all… and the threat he speaks of is closer than it appears, for his own perspective and ignorance will damn him."
- from Cabirus Folly, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"In the past, The Stygian Abyss has faced terrible threats.

Monsters, madmen,

The Slasher of Veils.

All are dwarfed by Typhon.

His rise will snuff out all life.

First, here.

Then, everywhere."
- from Father Of Monsters, recorded by Cabirus
"Cabirus thinks our People lived unaware of the beast in the depths. The slumbering one, Typhon. But The Hivemind always knew. Typhon had given life to The Hivemind with his fall, the fire and heat of his eternal slumber providing much needed light and heat to the gardens of The Hivemind… without Typhon's pulse, the heart of the Abyss would die… spores would lie dormant, cold, and the Abyss would be a tomb."
- from Fertile Soil, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"Again, the importance of The Expedition's Great Work falls on deaf ears. Dwarves remain at the ready, eager to man the forges, yet Cabirus does not seem to hear this… he makes one demand after another, guiding us to hew rock and carve chambers from the Abyss for his plans, yet of progress of the Great Work he ignores us, telling us to bide our time… we have waited long enough, and we will be heard!"
- from Ghost In The Machinery, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"Cabirus has promised us much, and my fellow dwarves of The Expedition have become uneasy. Much of what Cabirus has warned us of has become true… but the aid he promised us is slow in coming, and is always accompanied by what we must do. He seems consumed by a vision of his own… and I fear our place in the future he envisions is one where we swear fealty to him."
- from Ghost Of A Chance, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"Cabirus seeks to “lead” the elven people with one hand, while holding another behind his back – it is as Pir-Tama spoke of in the ancient texts. He revealed a road to us, an escape from our captors… was it only to bring the elves to face another threat in its depths, for his own ends? To make us a captive army at his beck and call?"
- from Ghost Of The Abyss, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Before? I was indolent, prone to innumerable vices and defects of character.

But in The Stygian Abyss, I found purpose.

I was honed to perfection.

This damnable place the hammer, and I, the anvil.

I left my initial refuge naked, armed only with reason.

In days, I wore the skin of a savage Grue.

In months, I united warring factions

and set them constructing my utopia.

I ignored the admonitions of the gods at great folly.

None saw the blade that killed me.

For my actions, I now pay what is due…"
- from Hammer To Anvil, recorded by Cabirus
"Again, pointless debate at the Circle of Portals… again, the lizards and the elves and their prattling words! What use is endless talk when there is labor to be done? If they will not help us, then perhaps Cabirus is right… if they deny us their Abyssal Keys, then we may wish to let them have a taste of the threat that rises, and then see their words fail them. And if that does not show them, then Cabirus is right – we should take it from them!"
- from Hot Air, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"This place had many names...

Avernus, Aornum, Xibalba, Ganzer.

The Stygian Abyss…

Gateway to The Underworld.

Here,

On the borders of death,

a scant, few brave and able have made their home.

A place,

where life should not exist.

Without your help,

it won't much longer."
- from Into The Underworld, recorded by Cabirus
"The Cataclysm caused death and diaspora among the races who dwelt here.

The Saurian tribes fled to the lower depths.

All save canny Ishtass.

who adapted. Survived.

He discovered Memora.

Used it to save all he'd learned.

When The Saurians returned, his recorded teachings founded their society.

Deep pity, he never saw it."
- from Ishtass' Requiem, recorded by Cabirus
"Cabirus was not one to endure silence. But when he demanded we act… we had no answer for him. Our silence he took for defiance, not uncertainty. He then demanded our Abyssal key, and when we did not surrender it, he cursed us both, Saurian and Hivemind, and said both would burn for our foolishness. When he left, carrying his rage with him, The Hivemind whispered to The Saurians that the specter was a danger to us all, perhaps the equal of Typhon."
- from Restless Spirit, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"While reading ancient writings in the ruins of the Seers' library, I found a curious passage… one that spoke of Cabirus as a person, a man of flesh and bone. He once lived in the Abyss, and judging by the records, he was as… ‘demanding…' as he is now.
Whatever his aims, they were laid low… It seems, by their accounts, the Seers witnessed his death, but by whose hands, they do not know - only that they did not mourn his passing and saw him an equal threat to the slumbering terrors in The Abyss."
- from Sordid Past, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Rubric's arrogance, mule stubborn like all dwarves… came to us and demanded that, I, Xefreyani, surrender the Abyssal Keys of the elves, claiming that The Expedition was the true inheritors of the Abyss. I reminded Executor of the pilgrimage of Pir-Tama at Cabirus's hand, the sealing of the portal from those who sought to enslave us, and reminded the Executor that the key was divided because it symbolized equal claim… but he would have none of it, he all but spat on the floor of the Circle of Portals and said that the Abyss belonged to those who could tame it, not worship it."
- from Stubborn Dwarf, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Dead or alive, Cabirus has drawn suspicion from The Hivemind. As a spirit he wanders The Lower Dark, always scheming. When flesh and bone, he did much the same. The Hivemind would rather not convey to its mediators the exact cause of Cabirus's death, long ago, except to say rumors persist of murder by poison or strange magicks. Let these unrefuted tales inform all suspicions."
- from Suspected Spectre, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"The engineers guided me to the lower chambers today, so that I might observe the channels lava had carved in the rock. The heat would fuel the forges, my engineers said, and as long as the channels were kept and the lava flow steady and undisturbed, then the Great Work could continue. If the heat were to die in the Abyss, the Great Work would be ended as well… and The Expedition would be no more.
Cabirus speaks of it as a hated thing, to be quenched and doused, but the engineers say that is careless talk – without such heat, there would be no life in the Abyss, and our hardships would be many."
- from The Abyssal Hearth, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"Before The Expedition, before Cabirus's failed utopia...before even the Rotworms rooted through The Lower Dark, the first spore took root. It propagated and flourished into the garden of The Hivemind. Societies great and small came and went, scourged by the flames, yet The Hivemind remained, regarding all. It sowed fields of memories, ignored until The Saurians learned to meditate and speak."
- from The Darkest Age, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"It is strange that The Sun Key transformed from a symbol of hope to one of distrust. The Sun Key, split amongst the factions, might as well have become three blades of greed, paranoia, and fear… and as The Saurian and Hivemind watched, we say that these emotions were what Cabirus sought to exploit, claiming that all such keys were safe with him and him alone, and he cared not who he ruined to make it so."
- from The Lost Key, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"The dead have driven us from the lower levels, and still they press the attack. My warriors… exhausted. So many have fallen… the forges are lost, and we still fight to hold the upper halls. Where is the aid Cabirus promised? Will he leave us to die… to be sacrificed?
We are alone. The elves are lost, scattered. The expedition's only hope is to retreat to the Circle of Portals… The Saurians will not help us in their warded city. We must retreat, break the portals, and try to gather our forces elsewhere."
- from The Rout Begins, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"We Disenthralled and the Goblinfolk of the last age share a kindred history. Cabirus's own memoirs confirm this. His text claims, “The Goblins originated from forbidden arcane experiments performed on prisoners and other victims by demented, power-seeking mages.” Goblin society thrived in the Abyss until Typhon last stirred. We share a beginning. Let us not share their end."
- from Two Of A Kind, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Cabirus came before me, seeking an audience with “Executor Rubric” – he might as well have spat the title, as if acknowledging it was an offense to his own. I believe the masked one knew he had gone too far in his demands – yet I gave him an audience. No sooner had it begun, before he was railing at us as if we were children, unable to see ‘his plans' for what they were… and when I told him his plans for ‘us' seemed to avail The Expedition not at all, he grew cold and said that if we did not listen, then we deserved our fates."
- from Unfriendly Ghost, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"The Stygian Abyss is a liminal region…

An in-between space, where the barriers to other dimensions fade.

A gateway elsewhere, connecting all worlds to The Underworld.

If fortunate events occur here, they may ripple throughout reality.

If the opposite happens? It can topple creation..."
- from Warren Of Worlds, recorded by Cabirus
"Cabirus came to us, demanding to speak to The Hivemind. He said he bore news of a threat against us all. The Hivemind knew of what he spoke, but they did not know Cabirus's place in such events… thus, when he made his demands, The Hivemind did not know how to answer. He came many times after, seeking an answer – then finally, demanding our Abyssal key."
- from Weeding Out The Truth, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers


Previous Appearances

Quotes

Quotes: 
  • Before? I was indolent, prone to innumerable vices and defects of character. But in The Stygian Abyss, I found purpose. I was honed to perfection. This damnable place the hammer, and I, the anvil. I left my initial refuge naked, armed only with reason. In days, I wore the skin of a savage Grue. In months, I united warring factions and set them constructing my utopia. I ignored the admonitions of the gods at great folly. None saw the blade that killed me. For my actions, I now pay what is due…
– Cabirus – Logs/CABIRUS_PAST
  • Your journey... this katabasis... mirrors that of Gilgamesh, Odin, Izanagi-no-Mikoto... Ishtass – His example inspired settlers at Marcaul: Their ideology, their society. I once whispered in Ishtass and Pir Tama’s ears as I do yours now. They were... capable, but insufficient. Will you match that great exploits? Or surpass them?
– Cabirus – Logs/CABIRUS_HEROES
  • After Zeus slew his forebears, the devouring Titans, the earth begat its greatest monster, nightmare of the primordial universe: TYPHON. Zeus fought this horror for hundreds of years, before imprisoning it below a volcano. Here, on the borders of the underworld, beneath which you stand. Do you hear? Can you feel that? Typhon stirs… Such is the depth of your challenge. To face down the adversary of mighty Zeus… Save life from death… Through cleverness, rise. Join the ranks of heroes of legend. Will you ascend?
– Cabirus – Logs/CABIRUS_TYPHON_2
  • SORDID PAST: While reading ancient writings in the ruins of the Seers’ library, I found a curious passage… one that spoke of Cabirus as a person, a man of flesh and bone. He once lived in the Abyss, and judging by the records, he was as… ‘demanding…’ as he is now. Whatever his aims, they were laid low… It seems, by their accounts, the Seers witnessed his death, but by whose hands, they do not know - only that they did not mourn his passing and saw him an equal threat to the slumbering terrors in The Abyss.
– Xefreyani of The Deep Elves – Logs/Memora_elf_002
  • SUSPECTED SPECTRE: Dead or alive, Cabirus has drawn suspicion from The Hivemind. As a spirit he wanders The Lower Dark, always scheming. When flesh and bone, he did much the same. The Hivemind would rather not convey to its mediators the exact cause of Cabirus’s death, long ago, except to say rumors persist of murder by poison or strange magicks. Let these unrefuted tales inform all suspicions.
– Khosnak, Mediator to The Shamblers – Logs/Memora_Swamp1_Intrigue_009
  • CABIRUS FOLLY: Cabirus’s folly knows no limits. First, he insults us with demands, then threatens us with that which he has no sway over… the elves will not aid us, he says, nor will The Saurians, unless he makes it so. Enduring enough of this specter’s demands, I told him that if he spoke to them as he did to us, then he has no allies at all… and the threat he speaks of is closer than it appears, for his own perspective and ignorance will damn him.
– Executor Rubric of The Expedition – Logs/Memora_dwarf_007
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