Dragons

First apperance: Ultima III

Last apperance: Ultima IX



Description

Dragons are huge, flying, fire-breathing reptiles with a strong mind and fearsome magical abilities like the ability to summon Daemons and becoming invisible. Only a fool or the strongest warriors would challange a Dragon to a fight. But such perils are usually rewarded with the treasure the Dragon kept. Dragons can come in quite a number of varities. The Dragons of Britannia usually are either green or red in color, while the Ice Dragons of the Serpent Isle are blue in color.

Dragons can usually be found in dungeons, but they also roam the wilderness. The most well-known dwelling place of Dragons is the Dungeon Destard.

Evolution in the series

First seen in Ultima III, Dragons stayed a part of the series to the very end, with exception of the two Underworlds (for obvious reasons) and Ultima VIII. Due to the enormous difficulty that laid in defeating a Dragon, their power was reduced in Ultima VII, to give players a fair chance to defeat them. In Ultima IX, Dragons seemed to have lost all magical abilities, which more likely is because of sloppy programming.

Notable examples The Avatar meets Dracothraxus in the Test of Courage on the Isle of Fire in Ultima VII. He is one of the few Dragons that didn't attack the Avatar at once but instead talks with him first. Attemting to kill him is futile, since he is invincible. However, a won duel gives the Avatar posession of the Ether Gem, to forge the Black Sword, which in the end would be the key to destroying Dracothraxus.