Sherry the Mouse

Sherry is a mouse living in Castle Britannia, who has been the uncommon gift of human intelligence and speech. Long a companion and friend of Lord British, Sherry has lived well beyond the span allotted most mice, and has earned a reputation as a teller of stories and a caretaker of children.

Age of Enlightenment
The Avatar first met Sherry during the adventures in Ultima VI, likely having been alerted to her existence by Lyssandra, who posited that the intelligent rodent may be able to assist in retrieving the lost Rune of Valor. Seeming nothing but an ordinary mouse at first glance, the hero had to engage the small creature as any other person before she would reveal her comprehension of the English language. Once placated with a gift of cheese, Sherry was quite willing to accompany the Avatar in pursuit of the Rune, and was able to nimbly fetch it back from the hole where a rat had absconded with it from the  Sword and Keg.

If asked about her life in Castle Britannia, the murine companion would talk about how Lord British read her stories each night - with a particular favorite of hers being Bill Peet's Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, a children's picture book from the king's home world of Earth

Age of Armageddon
Extraordinarily, the tiny mouse was still living in the castle over two-centuries later in Ultima VII - a span eighty-fold times greater than the life span typical of her species. A doting assistant to Nanna in the royal nursery, Sherry kept her young charges entertained with the same story Lord British had recited to her decades prior, and further admitted that over the ages, the king, himself, now relied on her to read it to him before he slept. Still a lover of cheese, Sherry, gratefully accepted any gifts of it which the hero wished to bestow upon her.

What eventually befell the little mouse doe is unknown. While brief mention of her was made a year later during the events of Ultima Underworld II - during which she was thankfully outside of the besieged castle on an errand in Paws - no record of her exists in the later Age of Armageddon, and the Avatar could find no trace of her upon his return to Britannia in Ultima IX. While a copy of her favorite book still graced the shelves of the hero's home, the little storyteller seemed to have vanished from the realm, having perhaps succumb at last to the weight of her age.

Runes of Virtue
Sherry could be found extensively throughout the dungeons of Britannia in the Runes of Virtue series, offering advice on how to overcome the many traps laid out by the villainous Black Knight.

The Ultima 6 Project
In versions 1.0 and 1.01 of The Ultima 6 Project, Sherry is still essential for retrieving the Rune of Valor, but can no longer be used as a party member. Later, in version 1.1, Sherry can once again join the party.

Strategy (Ultima 6)
In Ultima 6, Sherry is the companion with the highest starting Dexterity by far (27), but the lowest starting Strength (1) and Health Points (30). On the other hand, her low starting Level (1) allows for great upgrades of the attributes.

If kept in the back row and equipped with ranged weapons, she can actually earn experience and raise her attributes at the Shrines. In the beginning she's barely strong enough to carry just a magic bow plus ten arrows, or just a lightning wand plus swamp boots. After praying at four of the Shrines (Spirituality, Sacrifice, Valor, Honor) her Strength will be raised to 7, her Dexterity to 29 and her Health Points to 150. Although her Strength will be still low, therefore limiting her armour, her high Dexterity will allow her to hit the opponents with great accuracy.

Trivia

 * Sherry's real world counterpart is Sherry Hunter, a past girlfriend of Richard Garriott's. Garriott's other alter-ego in the series, Shamino, dates an actress portraying Sherry in Ultima VII, who is also modeled after this person.
 * In Ultima VI, Dr. Cat will tease Sherry about being a meal for his pets if she is in the party, much to her dismay. She will also react poorly if present when Phoenix pins a mouse's tail to the wall via a well-placed dagger throw.
 * In Savage Empire, the character Sahree will respond with a squeak when asked the keywords "Sherry" or "mouse".
 * In the usecode for Ultima Underworld II dialogue appears for an unused character known as "Jerry the Rat," who may have been intended as a parodic tribute to Sherry.
 * In the fan-patch for Ultima IX: Ascension, Shamino tells the Avatar that Sherry died in the war against the Guardian.