| Ghouls | |
|---|---|
 Ghoul, from The Chronicle of Pagan | |
| Also known as: | Zombies |
| First appearance: | Ultima III |
| Last appearance: | Ultima VIII |
Ghouls -- magically animated corpses of the recently dead. Mindless and thus oblivious to pain, they fight until destroyed.
First encountered in Ultima III, ghouls were easily mistaken for skeletons from a distance, and were sometimes referred to as zombies by the population at large. At that time they possessed no special abilities, though all could be turned with the Clerical enchantment "Pontori", found in the The Ancient Liturgy of Truth.
The ghouls of Ultima VIII:Pagan are all servants of the Titan Lithos, and are mindlessly aggressive towards trespassers, but slow and weak in combat. The only real danger they pose is the pestilence they carry with them, which can kill even the strongest warrior.
Zombies in Ultima IX are clumsy and carry disease just as the Pagan ghouls, but even their severed limbs may attack in combat.
Ghouls from the Age of Darkness could be found almost anywhere in Sosaria during the time of Exodus. Pagan ghouls are mainly found in the cemetery and the catacombs, but can also occur anywhere people have died. Zombies in Ascension are commonly found in graveyards and charnel houses.
Lore
All Undead creatures are an abomination before the light of Truth. A Cleric with thy Party can Turn these Undead creatures.
- from The Book of Play (Ultima III)
Ghouls are the animated corpses of the recently dead. Wearing nothing more than the clothing in which they were interred, ghouls - or zombies are extremely slow in both thought and action. Unlike skeleton warriors, the ghouls' function is far less oriented towards combat, and they begin their service as soon as they make their way to the Mountain King's domain.
However, when sacred areas such as the cemetery are disturbed, ghouls are there to confront the trespasser. Fortunately for the perpetrator, movement for ghouls is extremely difficult and painful, rendering them poor combatants. An ironic twist to the ghouls' nature is that they consume the flesh of their prey, thus making it impossible for the victims ever to reach Lithos and serve him.
- from The Chronicle of Pagan (Ultima VIII)
Condemned to a forced guardianship, zombies are the animated flesh, now rotting, of the recently deceased. In graveyards and charnel houses, zombies feed on mourners and the morbidly curious. Though clumsy in combat, zombies do not arrest their pursuit of living flesh till their bodies have been destroyed. To sever limb from limb is insufficient, as they may separately renew the attack. With each strike, there is a chance that the zombie will poison you with its disease.
- from Journal (Ultima IX: Ascension)
Trivia
- Ghouls and zombies were to be included in the cancelled Ultima X. Links: