Gremlins

Gremlins are small, evil and very hungry little pests. They roam the land in bigger gangs, and while not a big physical threat to the adventurer, they have the ability to steal and devour their opponents food in no time. However, should a Gremlin be defeated, it will dissolve, leaving behind some food.

Gremlins can be found anywhere, but they can mostly be found in the forests or in dungeons.

First seen in Ultima I, the Gremlins vanished until Ultima IV (though they can steal your food in the dungeons of Ultima III, you cannot see or fight them). After Ultima IV, they also appeared in Ultima V, VI, VII and VII/2. During that time, they became more looking like small, evil gnomes.

Gremlins were planned for Ultima IX, but then dropped during development. One can be found in a lost map.

Lore
''These hungry denizens of the underworld love to sneak up to unwary travelers and steal all their food. Do not let an evil Gremlin get close to thee!''

- from "The History of Britannia", Ultima IV

''The blow of a gremlin is hardly felt, but he is not very hard to do in. He travels in huge packs and he may leave you starving. The gremlins' ability to consume food at an inordinate rate is startling and dismaying. Once overcome, he usually leaves some goods.''

- from "Book of Lore", Ultima V

''Unimpressive in battle, gremlins usually roam in packs and will attempt to overcome you through sheer force of numbers. Given the chance, these persistent creatures will take whatever food you are carrying in your pack, distributing it amongst themselves in a frenzy of feeding.''

- from "Compendium", Ultima VI

''This tiny creature travels in a pack and attacks in a large group. Its primary threat is that it likes to steal food.''

- from "Fellowship", Ultima VII