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Mr. Garriott,

I address this to you as the foremost authority on the subject following.

The last 3 days have been a blur for me, this most unforeseen and shocking event, my father's death, having thrown my life and that of my family's into tumultuous grieving and introspection. What is nearly as unexpected to us, his family, is the response my father’s passing has generated throughout the Ultima Community, and indeed the entire CRPG community, as well as the fact that I am writing to you now. You are a dual entity to me, both the creator of, as well as a character in, the series of games that my father and I enjoyed together over the years. My first memory of Ultima was watching my father play Ultima 3 on our old C64. I recall vividly the anticipation with which I waited for the next time he would play, the nagging I subjected him to "to just play a little bit more", and the frustration I experienced when I learned that he had played "a little bit more" after my 9:00 bedtime. I remember how much he appreciated the virtue-system of Ultima 4, how that alone made it the most fulfilling and unique CRPG he had played to date, and I remember how baffled and frustrated he was when Ultima 5 was released with no support for music on the C64, but only on the C-128 (I believe he enjoyed the music of Ultima more than anything, and even recorded the tracks of many Ultima’s onto audio cassette to listen to while playing other games). In short, the man was as big a fan of your games, your world, as any, and was eagerly awaiting the ninth installment of the series even though he was not entirely in favor of what it had become. He caused me to enjoy them as well, and Lord Brinne, the name he used (and I later adopted for many of my own CRPG’s), was Britannia’s champion time and time again during both of our lives.

But now I write to you because one of these lives has come to an end.

The Ultima Horizons Community has taken it upon themselves to memorialize my father as best they can: through heartfelt posts in their forum, at least one memorial page dedicated to his memory, and even an IRC meeting during his actual funeral. One of these kind souls, Aaron Nonis, has even made the brave gesture of attending the actual funeral as he was fortunate enough to live close enough to make the trip feasible. And one of the most amazing feats is the contents of this letter/petition which, at the time that I write this, currently holds the names of 155 people whose lives he touched during his 2 years online….and that number is steadily growing. What they ask ranges from a small tombstone with an epithet, to an actual in-game quest, but the common denominator is that they (and indeed we, his family) would be most honored to see some sort of tribute to this brave Avatar in Ultima 9. Bill, my father, was very impressed and excited when he realized in these last few years that, by means of the internet, game designers were actually listening to the players and often taking their advice and suggestions very seriously. But I don’t think that in his wildest dreams he ever could have imagined the love and respect that so many had for him, or that he would possibly be a part of (in name, character, and or image) four, as I am now informed, upcoming games. So be it a humble tombstone in Yew (which many have sworn to seek out as soon as they are able), a part of the written history of Britannia, or even an in-game quest to pay homage to the tomb of the fallen hero, we, the Ultima Horizons Community, my family, and I, leave such a choice to your discretion and humbly request that this man, known by few but loved by many, be honored in the world he possibly loved as much as his own. And now that I have brought myself to tears with my own words, so will I bring this letter to a close.

Respectfully yours,

Jeff Iburg

Representing His family;

His loving wife Marjorie;

His youngest son Scott;

His mother Helen Kluk;

And His mother-in-law Opal Sussman;

And if I may be so bold:

The Ultima IX Horizons Community