Daemons

A race of beings from the deep pits of hell, daemons are full of deceit and malignancy. They are extremely intelligent, cunning, and powerful to no end. Daemons not only boast powerful magics and physical attacks, they can possess their victims, and gate in fellow daemons to assist them. To battle a daemon is either sheer madness or the act of someone totally convinced of victory.

In short, these denizens of hell are among the deadliest of enemies. They are hard to defeat and leave behind no loot--only scars.

Daemons are usually found in dungeons, places of the dead, or sites of strong magic. Many enter the world by way of a powerful mage casting the Summon Daemon spell.

Evolution in the series
After their first appearance in Ultima I, daemons appeared in every installment of the series except Ultima VII (with the exception of Arcadion in the Forge of Virtue expansion). Daemons and gargoyles appear as two separate races/monsters in Ultima VI, so the lack of daemons in Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two is curious. It's hard to know whether we were meant to think they are indeed the same race or not.

Further clouding the issue is that daemon variants known as manes and gargoyles were seen in Ultima III.

In the core series, daemons can be divided into three classes:


 * 1) The weakest class is the imp. These small beings are easily vanquished.
 * 2) Then come the normal daemons, which are met the most often. They are powerful, and dangerous opponents.
 * 3) Never seen after Ultima IV are the balrons, kings among daemons. These infernal lords wield the most power, and are next to impossible to defeat.

In Ultima Underworld II, more varieties of daemon were seen:


 * 1) Hordlings were the classic red-hued daemons that hang around pits of fire. In at least one instance, a hordling disguised itself as a Human.
 * 2) Despoilers were green-hued daemons that were visible around swampy areas. Many of these were non-hostile entities.
 * 3) Destroyers were black-hued daemons, and the most powerful variety available.

In Ultima IX, daemons can gate in a hell hound to assist them in battle, giving the daemon invulnerability while the hound is alive. To defeat the daemon, it is necessary to kill the hell hound first.

Ultima IX also saw the introduction of the slasher daemon, a powerful foe that could only be defeated through magical means. This daemon would shoot powerful bolts of electrical energy that could not be avoided.

Lore




Notable examples
There are four daemons which deserve mention:


 * The Slasher of Veils in Ultima Underworld I. This daemon, probably a balron, is so powerful, that the Avatar has to use a lengthy ritual to banish it into the Void. Otherwise, all of Britannia would perish.


 * Arcadion, the (only) daemon in Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two. Imprisoned by Erethian the mage within a mirror, he convinces the Avatar to help him escape. Arcadion bonds with the Black Sword, which he only leaves in Ultima VII Part Two. A later meeting in Pagan reveals that he can't remember the Avatar.


 * Virtuebane, seen in Ultima IV in the ruins of Magincia. He speaks of how the city was destroyed by him and his kind for its Pride.


 * Balinor, who served the Shadowlords and appeared in Stonegate in Ultima V. Balinor demanded that the Avatar answer a riddle before being allowed to pass.

Trivia

 * Both daemons (renamed "demons") and imps were to be included in the cancelled Ultima X. Links:
 * Ultima X demon
 * Ultima X imp