Ultima VI: The False Prophet/The hot-air balloon

Gathering information
As usual, the game contains all the necessary information. The problem is to put it all together.

Naxatilor the Seer also spoke about Bolesh the Troop Leader, who is recovering at the Healer's. Bolesh talks about the Codex in Britannia, but will not reveal its locations. Instead, he says that the Temple of Singularity put him on the quest for the Codex, but the Temple itself can only be reached by flying.

Sin'Vraal directs you straight to Minoc, but there is another trail to the balloon in the game. It starts with a bard's song...

Sutek's castle


Sutek's island is surrounded by mountains. The only way to access the castle is from the south. The exterior is guarded by ferocious rabbits, two-headed alligators and two-headed cows. The only way to open the gate is to blast it with a powder keg or an "Explosion" spell. Then, you have to use the "Telekinesis" spell to lower the drawbridge. Look for a secret passage in the north wall. Further inside, you need to look carefully for secret passage, and also you need the "Dispel Field" and "Unlock Magic" spells. Sutek the Mad is in the northmost room: ask him about the balloonist. Instead, the ladder down to the catacombs is in a central room. There is a room with locked wooden doors: open it using lockpicks, then activate the switches to turn off the electrical fields. The only ladder down that is not a dead end is the one to the south. Talk to the Pushme-Pullyu, and solve its riddle: look for the only answer that the two heads agree about, and judge whether they are lying or not. If you take the wrong ladder, you will fall in a lava pit surrounded by daemons and dragons, and the only ways out are to Britain or to Buccaneer's Den. This floor is empty. Any ladder down will do. The dead balloonist is in the northwestern corner. Search his body for the balloon plans. On this floor you can also meet Gorn, a character originally from Ring Quest and The Quest. He can join you, if you are interested.
 * Ground floor
 * Floor 1
 * Floor 2
 * Floor 3
 * Floor 4

Building the hot-air balloon
Once you collected the balloon plans and you left Sutek's island, look at the plan: is has all the necessary instructions written of it.


 * First you must have a wicker balloon basket made, large enough to carry several passengers.

Go to Minoc and talk to Michelle the basket-weaver. The balloon basket will cost 300 GC.


 * Then you will need a big iron cauldron, to hold a fire to generate the hot air.

One cauldron can be found in Britain sewers, four more are in Dungeon Wrong.


 * Next you must have a huge bag sewn out of silk, to hold the hot air in.

Silk is a fabric, therefore the natural place where you should inquire about it is Paws. First, ask Arbeth the threader about silk: he will spin 40 pieces of spidersilk into a silk thread for 20 GC. If you have not enough spidersilk, you can get as much as you need in the Spiders Cave, near Empath Abbey. Arbeth will then relay you to Thindle the weaver, but he will instead direct you to Charlotte in New Magincia. The humble weaver will ask just 10 GC for weave the thread into silk cloth. If then you show (ask) her the balloon plan, she will direct you to Marissa, back in Paws. The tailor asks 75 GC to sew the cloth into a huge silk bag.


 * Lastly, get enough rope to tie the balloon securely to the basket.

One rope can be found in the Cyclops cave (near Skara Brae). Otherwise, you can get some from the Goodscrafter in Investigation, or buy it from Mortude in Paws.


 * Once you have gathered all of these together, use these plans to assemble them.

This is self-explanatory.


 * When flying your balloon, you will find that a ship's anchor makes the best ballast, and is also useful for stopping the balloon where and when you wish.

Where can you find an anchor? It is not sold in neither shipwrights nor guild shops. Anyway, it is not necessary for the balloon.

Once you have built the balloon, you can go back to Investigation and visit the Temple of Singularity.