The Oracle

The Oracle

Location:	Oracle Confirmatory
First Seen:	Release 10

The Oracle is a title used to describe the entity that will speak to the Avatar when interacting with her mechanical interface devices within an Oracle Confirmatory buildings, located throughout New Britannia.

“The Oracle” as she is called, is a mysterious being, and her followers have erected “Confirmatories” in many major cities, and her Omnipotent flying and crawling “eyes” can be seen “observing” in more and more places throughout the lands. Her supporters claim, she is a bastion of the ways of virtue, here only to guide and inform those who wish to remember and rekindle a path of virtue. Her detractors claim, she is a manipulative and autocratic ruler who must be stopped. It is up to each individual to decide what if anything she may mean to them! Some cities clearly support her, while others have destroyed her confirmatories and drive off her followers. The Island of the Hidden Vale has rejected her guidance, and remains mostly free of her influence and observation… but at what cost?”^[1]

Lore[edit]

Tis everyone's duty to find guidance with the Oracle, yea, even outlanders such as yourself. I daresay especially outlanders such as yourself. If thou hast not done so, if thou intends to spend any time among people of good character thou wilt consult with her immediately!-Vella

Developer Quoted Lore[edit]

From the travel journals of Maeread, historian and seeker of truth...

"There are so many theories about the Oracle, especially for those of us who question. Of course, it is impossible to deny the impact of the Celestis Compact, and the affirmation chambers, and the Eyes. Few could deny the Oracle exists, with all the evidence of our eyes and the testimonial of those who have heard the Voice. And those who do – well, there are always those who deny even in the face of proof."

"Yet there is always the mysteries, the prophecies, the shrouding. The Oracle demands doubt – it insists on it, sometimes explicitly. No one knows what... it? she? he? The voice is always different, and always what the listener expects. Is it a machine, an intelligent device that somehow survived the Cataclysm? Is it a creature borne of magic, like so many of the wars? Is it something more, something we fear to express?"^[2]

Trivia[edit]

Before Shroud of the Avatar was announced, one of the concept images for Lord British's "Ultimate RPG" was a distinctive mask. This eventually became one of the inspirations for the Oracle.^[3]

The Oracle seems to serve the purpose once reserved by the Gypsy and Hawkwind the Seer, setting you upon the path to Virtue in Shroud of the Avatar. Its exact role is not yet know. She speaks to all who ask, her voice carried from her chamber in Brittany to Confirmatories throughout the land. Yet none have seen her in many an age…^[4]