Evain Empire
From UO Community
History of the Evain Empire
By Matharenn Glenfire
Near a thousand years ago, the Ultimas were dominated by the Evain Empire. The heart of the empire was located in the southern regions of Onkaria and as a culture they were quite advanced. Their understanding of science, mathematics, and architecture outstripped most other cultures at the time. It's a testament to their proficiency that many of the structures they built have lasted through the ages. The Crypts in Yew, the great Pyramid in Malas, the Ancient Citadel in Ilshenar, and Dungeon Khaldun in Losalan are all Evain structures that have withstood the ravages of time.
The Evain government was a monarchy, ruled by Pharaoh-Magi from a line that went unbroken for eight centuries. The Pharaoh-Magi were revered as gods by their people and it was believed when they passed away, they'd take their rightful place among the immortals. Because of this, the royal family and indeed the Evain culture itself was obsessed with life after death. To that end, they spent great sums of wealth and time preparing for the afterlife, constructing lavish tombs which far outstripped the homes of the living. This obsession with immortality led the empire to its greatest heights, but also led to its sudden downfall.
Aritoth El'Bashir was the greatest of the Pharaoh-Magi, far surpassing his ancestors in magical prowess. He was obsessed with finding a means of, not just dying and joining the immortals, but rather to live forever. He relentlessly researched magic and when he became Pharaoh-Magi, he sent his legions across the Ultimas, conquering and plundering. Aritoth's troops brought back all manner of books, tablets, scrolls, and sometimes even the scholars themselves to aid in his quest for new knowledge that would unlock the secrets of eternal life.
During one campaign, the Evain troops were battling a large but primitive orc tribe whose shamans were utilising some strange form of magic they called voo doo. This magic proved to be quite deadly to the Evain, but their superior equipment and training allowed them to defeat the barbarians. The most powerful shaman, an orc named Zog, was captured and brought before Aritoth. From this Zog, Aritoth gleaned the secrets of voo doo, a magic which dealt in the realms of pain and death. Using his superior understanding of magic, Aritoth refined the ritualistic voo doo into the art of necromancy. Aritoth was ecstatic for he now believed he had found the key to unlocking eternal life.
Aritoth and his priests began to immediately focus all their efforts on this new form of magic, delving into it's dark secrets. Slaves were taken, sacrificed, and raised as undead as they experimented with form after necromantic form. In time, Aritoth was able to animate the mummies of his ancestors, bringing them back from the dead so he could converse with them. While useful for learning about the past, the mummies had serious drawbacks. They could not call upon their former magical abilities and, although they were more powerful physically than they had once been, it was a hideous existence living in the shell of a rotting corpse. Aritoth next discovered lichdom which allowed the undead to retain their magic while also being more powerful physically than they had once been. There was the still usual problems, however. Aritoth became frustrated with the fact that every undead state of existence promised to be cold and hollow, bereft of pleasure and beauty. Thus he focused all his efforts on finding a form which permitted pleasure and also a human appearance. His diligence was rewarded with the discovery of the vampiric form. Aritoth was suddenly very close, but he learned even the vampiric form had it's drawbacks. Vampires suffered from a great hunger for blood. It is surmised that by inducing the human sensation of pleasure in an undead form, an associated hunger was also induced with it. This hunger was ravenous, requiring that nourishing ingredient so essential for life: fresh lifeblood. The vampiric form also suffered an accelerated decay rate in sunlight which made it appear as if vampires are burned by the sun. One can imagine vampiric forms as being very old corpses which have been sealed off in a vacuum, that when the seal is broken, the corpse suddenly crumbles as the ravages of time which had been halted over the ages suddenly race forward to their normal state. In the case of the vampire, one can just imagine it as the accelerated rotting of a corpse lying in the sun.
Again Aritoth knew frustration and he was struggling to find an answer to this latest and seeming last hurdle in his quest. His armies redoubled their efforts, conquering all of the Ultimas except the Tokuno Islands who were resisting with their own unique brands of magic. Every invasion of Tokuno had been repulsed. Aritoth turned his attention to Tokuno, suddenly thirsting for this new magic. Perhaps it would provide the last key needed. Aritoth gathered the entire might of his legions to hurl against the unconquered islands and the folk of Tokuno saw their doom approaching.
An exceptionally wise wu jen of the Tokuno divined that their one hope of survival lay in destroying the pharoh-magi, Aritoth El'Bashir. If his destruction could be wrought, then the Evain armies would lose heart. A small company of fearsome Tokuno adventurers was assembled and they set off in secret to infiltrate the Pharoh-Magi's palace in Onkaria. They succeeded, leading to a grand confrontation in Aritoth's private quarters. Half a dozen of Tokuno's finest adventurers squared off against Aritoth El'Bashir and his powerful high priest, Khaldun. Despite the brilliance of their skill, the Tokuno adventurers were no match for the two powerful necromancers. All of the heroes but one were slain. Only the ninja, Jozen Omagari, escaped the battle. While fleeing though the palace, avoiding Aritoth's guards, Jozen stumbled upon the captive Zog. Jozen freed Zog and, working together, they escaped the palace.
They fled Evain, arriving on the southern shores of Malas. Jozen lamented at the failure of his company and the impending doom of his homeland. Zog, however, revealed he still possessed secret knowledge Aritoth had not been able to wrest from him. It was the most terrible ritual of voo doo, but it would destroy Aritoth and crumble the Evain empire. It would, however, require the willing sacrifice of a life in order to cast the spell. Jozen agreed to be that sacrifice in order to save his homeland and his honor. Thus, on the site that would one day become the city Umbra, Zog cast what is now known as the Armageddon spell. The powerful magics wasted the southern regions of Malas, which even today are blackened and desolate. The oceans around Malas were infeced as well, the water turning an inky hue. The spell spread, engulfing the heart of the Evain empire. Felsaria and Losalan and to a lesser degree Ilshenar, suffered from the affects of the terrible magic. Life withered and all the people in the deadly swath began to die.
Aritoth and Khaldun found themselves affected by the spell and they were dying. They journeyed to the site where the Armageddon spell had been cast and found naught but the crypt where Zog had laid Jozen Omagari to rest beneath a small, blackened hill. There were no answers there to stay their impending doom. Still they, and many others of their priesthood and family, had prepared for an unexpected death. They had performed the necessary magical rituals that would transform them into liches upon their death. Aritoth had constructed his phylactery many years earlier, using a flawless black diamond to encapsulate part of his soul and power. Aritoth's phylactery was hidden in Barataria for just such an emergency. With their strength rapidly waning, Khaldun conducted the rituals that would end Aritoth's mortal life and allow him to begin anew as a powerful undead. Aritoth's body was laid in the Great Pyramid of Malas. Then Khaldun and his priesthood journeyed to their own tomb in Losalan to end their lives and know eternal life as undead.
Both men should have risen as mighty liches and continued to wreak havoc across the realm, but some side effect from the Armageddon spell had trapped them. Their spirits continued to live on, but they could take no shape on their own. Aritoth's spirit wasn't freed until recently when a youth named Mondain discovered the Dark Jewel in it's heavily guarded hiding place in Barataria. But that is a story for another time.
With the heart of their realm destroyed, the Evain empire crumbled. It was quite a dramatic turn around in history. A powerful empire at it's height suddenly crashed to it's end all because of one man's obsession and the terrible spell that was cast to stop that obsession.
