Liches

A Liche is the end result of mortal necromancer who, wishing to outlive their natural end, undertakes dark magics to allow themselves to persist in a never-ending state of undeath. Such creatures are extremely formidable opponents, and are not easily defeated. They appear in Ultima I, Ultima IV,  VII, Ultima Underworld II, Ultima VII Part Two and Ultima IX.

Description


In the early days of Sosaria, after the semi-mythical wizard Unthar first discovered the process by which initiates of the dark arts might attain immortality, liches became a common sight in the far subterranean depths of the realm's dungeons. In these days, such creatures took the form of a disembodied skull, which seemed to float in space. In the Stranger's earliest adventures during the time of Mondain's influence, the hero was commanded to slay one, at the behest of the King of the Black Dragon.

Years later, liches reemerged in the newly rechristened land of Britannia, and could often be found in the company of daemons, balrons or the lesser undead. During the early Age of Enlightenment these fiends began to venture outside of the dungeons which were once their domicile, and could on occasion were known to waylay travelers within the wilderness. With time, even their form changed, with many of them appearing in possession of full skeletal bodies.

Liches have a variety of dark powers, and often attack their foes with hurled bolts of flame and magic. Several have mastered the art of invisibility, allowing them to attack unseen. In many cases, however, the exact powers a liche exhibits will depend on the caliber of mage they were before their transformation. Adventurers ought always be wary when attacking such monsters, as their origins make them by necessity creatures of great intellect and cunning.

Lore




Notable Examples

 * Horance: formerly a peaceable poet and magician in Skara Brae, Horance eventually descended into madness following the Guardians disruption of the ethereal waves and gave over to lichedom, taking control of the dead within the city. He may be found in Ultima VII, still lording over the tortured ghosts of the town even after its destruction
 * Morphius, Lord Umbria and Lethe (the Three): A triumvirate of Praecor Loth's former retainers who bar access to the dead king's final resting place in Ultima Underworld II.
 * Aram-Dol: a powerful liche with an expansive territory near the Serpent's Fang keep in the Silver Seed expansion for Ultima VII Part Two

Trivia

 * The portrayal of liches in early games as consisting of a single floating skull may be based on the demiliches of the popular tabletop role-playing game  Dungeons & Dragons. These variations on typical liches have waxed in power such that most of their consciousness travels to the astral plane, while their physical bodies have deteriorated to naught but a skull.


 * The book Artifacts of Darkness in Ultima VII references the Crown of the Liche King as being an item of note. What exactly this crown is and what powers it may have are not known.


 * Liches were to be included in the canceled Ultima X. See Planned Monsters for Ultima X for further details.