Gazers

Gazers are strange creatures of magic; large, hovering orbs with a big central eye, and five "eyestalks," each with a smaller eye on its tip. With these many eyes, nothing escapes a gazer's attention, as it can look in every direction. They battle their foes by paralyzing them or using strong magic, which hints at a cunning intelligence. It is yet unknown how they devour their prey. If a gazer is killed, it dissolves into a swarm of stinging insects.

Gazers are usually found in dungeons and caves, and occasionally in the wilderness. They are often seen in groups, acting as overlords for the weaker humanoid species, and sometimes associate with zorns for unknown sinister purposes.

After these creatures were first spotted in Ultima I (then known as "Wandering Eyes"), it took until Ultima IV before they re-appeared. Gazers remained in the series (with the exception of Ultima VIII) virtually unchanged until they underwent a drastic visual and mechanical redesign for Ultima IX.

At some point, gazers may have had a society, or at least some organization. Per the timeline, in 172 BC Iskander Ironheart did slay the seven gazer princes, who had stolen the eye from the cyclops' tribal leader. This led to Iskander coming to be known as "Wonder Boy," at least to his own kind. What type of hierarchy gazers actually have in their own society, or whether they were merely titled "princes" by the cyclops race to add emphasis to their own tales, is unknown.

Lore




Trivia

 * Gazers were to be included in the cancelled Ultima X, along with a slave/offshoot species (previously seen in Ultima VIII), seekers. Links:
 * Ultima X Gazer
 * Ultima X Seeker