Ghosts

Ghosts are the lost souls of individuals who have died without achieving peace, and who are subsequently tied to the material plane until such time as they can achieve a closure which will allow them to ascend to the Void. Oftentimes, however, such beings find no rest, and cave to their baser instincts, persisting as hostile apparitions which plague the living. Such creatures have existed on numerous worlds, and appear in Ultima II,  IV,  V,  VI,  VII,  VII Part Two, Ultima VIII, and  IX, as well as in the Ultima Underworld series.

Description
Aggressive ghosts often appear as amorphous, translucent beings, with only the vaguest vestige of human features remaining. Oftentimes, these entities haunt graveyards, or at the site where they met their demise, making such creatures prevalent in dungeons. Throughout the years, these spectral beings have demonstrated a number of other natural properties, such as the ability to pass through solid matter (Ultima IV), or the capacity to render themselves hidden from sight Ultima V and VI). On Earth, such spirits were known to extinguish all light in the vicinity of their intended quarry, making them difficult to find in the midst of combat; whereas on the gloomy world of Pagan, ghosts were impervious to all forms of attack not visited by an enchanted weapon or special blessing, and could summon hordes of undead to fight by their side. Such dark entities as the latter were even capable of physically detaching their own heads, which would proceed to drift towards their prey that they might combust in a conflagration of spectral fire.

More peaceable spirits, however, would often retain the rough appearance of human beings, albeit a pale and faded one. Ghosts such as these are more likely to seem sapient and aware of their surroundings, and may at times contact and petition the living in the hopes of finding some means to escape their bondage to the physical world. While these more human-seeming shades could nevertheless be capable of violence, they would seldom attack with the same unprovoked fury characteristic of more monstrous ghosts.

White Ghosts
On Britannia, certain varieties of ghost have grown more substantially linked to the material plane, causing them to appear nearly opaque due to their greater physical presence. Such monstrous spirits typically dwelt in the darker regions, mainly dungeons such as the Abyss, and proved far more challenging to dispatch than their more transparent cousins.

Dire Ghosts and Red Haunts
Theorized by some to be the ghosts of departed monsters, dire ghosts are pitch black in hue with piercing golden eyes. Filled with unceasing hatred, these devilish shades seem to delight in their assaults on the living, attacking with unmatched ferocity. Hard to see due to their sable coloring, most who find themselves besieged by dire ghosts are unaware of the creature's presence until their eyes begin to flash.

A similar ethereal creature, known as a red haunt, seems to have many of the same properties as these fiendish apparitions, differing only in that their coloration is blood red, rather than black.

Spectres
During the last days of the Avatar, yet another variety of monstrous spirit appeared upon the physical plane of Britannia: the spectre. Unlike the marauding shades of previous generations, these ghosts would slowly siphon the magical energies of mortals unlucky enough to confront them, leaving their prey helpless, as such beasts could only be slain through the magical arts.

Lore






Notable Examples

 * Faultless: a ghost of Magincia who knew the mantra of Pride; appears in Ultima IV
 * Isaac: A spirit haunting a Skara Brae Inn who knew of the white Stone of Spirituality; appears in Ultima IV
 * Quenton: the spirit of a dead fisherman from Skara Brae; appears in Ultima VI and  VII
 * Garamon: the ghost of a murdered wizard who drew the Avatar to Britannia in ''Ultima Underworld
 * Caine: a dead alchemist forever doomed to feel the torment of unquenchable fires; appears in Ultima VII
 * Mordra: the shade of a departed Pagan native who travelled to Britannia and lived there as a seer; appears in Ultima VII
 * Beatrice: the dead queen of Anodunos; appears in Ultima Underworld II
 * Praecor Loth: the dead king of Rhiannon; appears in Ultima Underworld II
 * Beatrix: the deceased beloved of Shamino; appears in Ultima VII Part Two
 * Khumash-Gor: the shade of a powerful Zealan warrior; appears in Ultima VIII