Liches

Liches are undead wizards.

Nobody likes dying, not even mages of the black arts. These mages have become so powerful, that they became undead. This neverending existence of evil, paired with enormous magic powers, make Liches very dangerous. They usually have retained their personality, and have megalomaniac plans. Thus, Liches are a constant threat, and have to be destroyed as fast as possible. But only the most powerful adventurers dare to attack a Liche in his own domain.

Liches are usually found in their own domains, the places where they hold power. This is usually deep in the dungeons.

After first seen in Ultima I, Liches only appeared in Ultima IV again. From Ultima VII onwards, they were in every installment (apart from Ultima VIII). While in Ultima I, a Liche is still seen as a sort of flying skull, from Ultima IV onwards, it has a full body.

Lore
''Occasionally, an extremely old and powerful wizard will choose not to suffer a natural death, but instead become a liche. In such cases, their bodies die, but their minds live on and animate the rotting corpse. Liches are in nearly all cases solitary, most being scholars who carry out magical research in secret. Anyone capable of becoming a liche must already be highly intelligent and a master of arcane knowledge. In most cases, a liche is also completely insane.''- from "A Safe Passage through Britannia", Ultima Underworld II

Named liches

 * In Ultima VII, the Avatar meets Horance in Skara Brae. The mage is possessed by a powerful Liche, and wants to conquer Britannia with his hordes of undead. He practically controlls every undead on the island. The Liche was destroyed by the Avatar, thus freeing Horance from 200 years of spiritual torture.
 * In Ultima VII Part Two, Aram-Dol is an arch-liche who resides in the time of Serpent's Fang.