The Triad of Inner Strength as the Three Principles from which the Guardian's Virtues are derived.
- In creating the Fellowship philosophy I had no intention of cobbling together a collection of platitudes that would be presumptuously intended as a replacement of the Eight Virtues of The Avatar. I knew there would be those who would accuse me of doing just that, no matter what philosophy I developed! I hereby wish to state that The Fellowship fully supports the Eight Virtues of the Avatar, and as one who has endeavored to follow their example I can personally assure thee of their immeasurable worth.
— Batlin, a liar
In Ultima VII, as part of their sinister plan to undermine Britannian society and Virtue, the Fellowship introduce the Triad of Inner Strength. This is a set of three principles which purport to improve one's own fortitude and mental health, but they actually conceal much more sinister undertones.
- Strive for Unity: Nominally, this means the Fellowship members should work together and cooperate on common goals. Beneath the surface, it supports exclusion and prejudice, encouraging the belief that those not in unity with the Fellowship are enemies of the members.
- Trust thy Brother: Nominally, this simply encourages trust over suspicion, widely seen as a positive trait. Beneath the surface, it supports blind obedience, encouraging members to obey their superiors without question regardless of their own misgivings. After all, you trust them, don't you?
- Worthiness Precedes Reward: Nominally, this means that acting righteously will bring good fortune. Beneath the surface lies the flipside - reward can be bad as well as good, and so this principle encourages the belief that is bad things happen to the Fellowship's enemies, they must be worth suffering!
In Ultima Underworld II, in Killorn Keep, we learn the the Guardian has his own set of Eight Virtues, which he uses to maintain dominion over the worlds he has conquered:
- Sobriety
- Punctuality
- Obedience
- Vigilance
- Conformity
- Efficiency
- Silence
- Diligence
What is interesting is that the Triad of Inner Strength gives rise to the Guardian's Virtues in a manner similar to how the Three Principles of the Avatar, the Gargoyles, and Mandrake give rise to their respective sets of Eight Virtues. (Some of these are a bit awkward, but then so are some of the canonical interactions).
- Unity by itself begets Conformity; in seeking societal unity, people subsume their individuality.
- Trust by itself begets Obedience; people trust each other enough not to question instructions.
- Worth by itself begets Diligence; people seek to maximize the worth of their own labor.
- At the intersection of Unity and Trust is Silence; people trust in the greater glory of the system so that they keep their mouths shut and listen for orders.
- At the intersection of Unity and Worth is Efficiency; the combination of diligence in their work and conformity to a common goal leads to the elimination of waste, so that one person does not interfere with the worth of another.
- At the intersection of Trust and Worth is Punctuality; people trust others to do their work on time, and make themselves worthy of the same trust.
- Where Unity, Trust, and Worth meet is Vigilance, the constant state of mind maintained by all servants of the Guardian in carrying out his wishes.
- Sobriety is the other one. It falls outside and underlies the other seven Virtues, in a similar manner to the Virtues of Humility, Order, and Happiness. Sobriety is the state necessary to live according to the Triad and the Virtues. It is interesting that the Fellowship forbids the use of medicine, perhaps seeing it as a form of intoxication.
