I played UO during beta, and for years after. I was even a counselor on Europa + Drachenfels (sp?) for several months while that program was open, and a seer for about 3 weeks before they cancelled that program as well.
I played on Lake Superior and as far as I know my accounts there are still ok, but I have never played on a free shard.
Now that all said, I am not sure if I am right for this, since my hourly rate is likely above your budget lol. But I wanted more info... want to know what you are doing and what you need. I would be interested in it as I really enjoyed the game back in the day.