Gremlins

Gremlins are tiny, green-hued, humanoid monsters characterized by their ravenous appetites and pack mentality. They are consistently linked to consumption, whether it be through their desire for human food or their curious bodily dissipation into foodstuffs upon dying.

Description
Allegedly a relative of both trolls and lizard men, it is possible that the gremlins, like their reptilian kin, were the results of magical experimentation, as it is difficult to conceive of nature birthing such bizarre creatures. Little is known regarding the structure of their society, although explorers have described these vermin as banding together in massive city-like colonies underground.

Throughout the earliest days of Sosaria up through the Britannian Age of Enlightenment, gremlins were a constant peril of subterranean travel, greedily ravaging the rations of unwary travelers and leaving many of their victims to die slow deaths of starvation below the surface of the earth. During certain eras, such as the time of Ultima III, these vicious beasts were capable of attacking unseen, robbing explorers of their sustenance without any chance of recourse.

In later ages, it was revealed that gremlins had the curious property of transmuting into readily consumable human foods when slain, and while their ancient hunger remained unabated according to authors of the age, the peril of gremlin assault was much less a terrifying prospect when the sprites could well dissolve into a shank of mutton or a wheel of cheese when dispatched.

Magic Gremlins
On the mysterious Serpent Isle, a sub-group of gremlins of a purple shade could be found, seemingly adept in the arts of magic. The creatures, unlike their Britannian cousins left palpable bodies when destroyed, although a search of these remains would still yield food and the occasional rare black pearl.

Lore




Trivia

 * In the SNES Port of Ultima VII, gremlins continuously drop lit  powder kegs, making it difficult to hit them without suffering injuries from the torrent of explosions.
 * Plans for Ultima IX initially included the gremlins as a monster, but they were dropped from the game during development. An example of a gremlin can be found in a lost map. Its appearance bears some similarity to the creatures seen in the 1984 film, Gremlins.
 * Gremlins were to be included in the canceled Ultima X. See Planned Monsters for Ultima X for further details.
 * On Mars the oxi-leeches fulfill the same purpose as gremlins, only that they eat oxium instead of food - which has the same end result in a lack of rations.