Children

A child is a human being who has not yet attained adulthood. Children are present in, , , , , , and.

Description
The Stranger could first encounter children after the end of the Age of Darkness, where youngsters could often be found wandering the streets of the newly-founded cities of Britannia. Many children during the early Age of Enlightenment were being brought up in the ways of virtue by a populace in the process of adopting Lord British's ethical system, and such youths could frequently be found in the care of the bards of Britain.

Later, during the years of the Oppression, many young people faced victimization under the draconian rule of Lord Blackthorn's regime, and were subject to the same penalties of law as adults – facing torture and execution under the new regime. Children of this era also frequently saw themselves orphaned, and were at times victims of exploitative labor practices. While conditions for Britannian youth improved after the return of Lord British to power, abuses still existed, and were exacerbated in later ages by the rise of the Fellowship and the rise of the Guardian's columns.

Notable Examples

 * Barren: a child living in Skara Brae during who knew the mantra of Spirituality.
 * Terrin: a frightened child hiding from a bull in Trinsic during ; knew the location of the Rune of Honor.
 * William: a young boy dwelling in Moonglow during who could reveal the location of the Rune of Honesty.
 * Aleyn: a young victim of Blackthorn's laws who could be found in Yew during.
 * Froed: the son of an imprisoned Resistance fighter living alone in Skara Brae during.
 * Rew: the daughter of Great Council member Fiona, who worked as an enslaved child laborer in Minoc during.
 * Ariana: the keeper of the Rune of Compassion during ; her encounter with the Avatar would later inspire her to create the Lover's Walk in Cove.
 * Myles: a child raised by cyclopes; could be encountered in the ruins of Stonegate during.
 * Catherine: a young girl who befriended the Gargish people in the racially ghettoized Vesper of.
 * Garritt: the spoilt son of the philanthropist Feridwyn; appears in.
 * Kristy: an orphaned girl in the care of Castle Britannia's Royal Nursery during.
 * Spark: a teenage boy from Trinsic who joined the company of the Avatar during that he might avenge the death of his father.
 * Tobias: a sullen farm boy living in Paws during ; one of the few adherents to the Eight Virtues in this era.
 * Cantra: a teenage girl living in Monitor during ; her possession by one of the Banes of Chaos and murder at the hands of Batlin are a major plot point.
 * Shriash: spirit of a little girl trapped in a forcefield in the Temple of Emotion during ; she wants to be free from the wall.
 * Maria: a tortured girl imprisoned on Terfin during ; she begs the Avatar to kill her.
 * Meribeth: the sickly daughter of Britain's mayor, Aidon, during ; her illness eventually forces her into exile in Paws due to her own father's policies.

Trivia

 * In and  babies appear as usable objects, and the Avatar may interact with them by changing their soiled diapers. The used diapers may, in turn, be used to devastating effect against the hero's foes – forcing monsters to flee from the scent of newborns' excrement.

Controversial Trademark
A greatly controversial part of Ultima lore includes a set of monsters that appear as children; first encountered in the dungeon Hythloth in, this is a part of the game wherein the player is assaulted by these creatures and must somehow deal with them. Richard Garriott originally included this dilemma to force players to consider their actions and hopefully provoke an emotional response. Outraged, an Origin employee resigned believing this to be a promotion of child abuse. Ever since then, Ultima games have featured disturbing situations involving children.
 * A similar dilemma appears in, where the Avatar must kill or evade a room full of children.
 * In, a group of children can be found in the wilderness north of Tenebrae who will attempt to kill the Avatar.
 * In, the Avatar might encounter a child in Terfin will beg to be euthanized.