The Codex Triangle Mystery

Ever since Ultima IX - Ascension came out many have wondered about the triangle of the Codex. In all previous Ultima games (from Ultima IV and onwards) the triangle of the codex had always pointed upwards. Yet, in Ultima IX, it all of a sudden pointed downwards. What did it mean? The Ultima IV Codex The Ultima IX Codex The critics of Ultima IX held, that it simply was an error. Yet, that argument makes little or no sense. Lord British (Aka Richard Garriott) himself produced Ultima IX and the upside down codex was found both inside the game (on the Codex book itself) and was featured prominently on the official website. It therefore makes little or no sense to believe, that Lord British should not have known about the use of the upside down codex. Lord British knew what the Ultima IV Codex looked like and would therefore be aware that an upside down version of this symbol would hold a meaning different from the original. Thus it seems to make much more sense to claim, that the upside down codex was used fully intentional. But if that is the case what does the upside down codex of Ultima IX mean? I myself believe that the Ultima IV Codex means: "The Beginning and Ongoing Quest of the Avatar", while the Ultima IX Codex means: "The End and Ascension of the Avatar". That interpretation finds support in the fact, that the upside down Codex was only used in Ultima IX, where indeed the Avatar came to his/her end and ascended. As a sidenote to this interpretation I have discovered, that the group behind the Eriadain remake of Ultima IX has come to the same conclusion. They have even produced a picture, which demonstrates this matter most clearly: The Eriadain Logo On a more speculative note the following may be considered, but of course not directly validated: The Codex consists of two triangles. One triangle, which is "finite" in the sense, that its three lines meet perfectly as they touch the circle formed by Humility. Another triangle, which is "infinte" in the sense, that its three lines cross each other, but then continues on "infintly" until the circle formed by Humility encloses them. While the Quest of the Avatar was in process the "finite" triangle pointed upwards and the "infinite" triangle pointed downwards. Yet, when the Quest of the Avatar came to an end in Ultima IX, the "infinite" triangle pointed upwards and the "finite" triangle pointed downwards. Indeed an interesting detail when we hold the following lines from the Ultima IX journal in mind: "It is a dark time when the Avatar returns to battle for the final time. When he does defeat the Guardian, he ascends to a plane beyond mortality, never to return to us again." -Excerpt from the Ultima IX Journal page 15