Fall of Mondain

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Overview

The Fall of Mondain is actually a tale about his rise to power and his corruption during that rise. The title is supposed to be misleading, making on think it is his destruction which will be told. Rather, the tale can be summarized as the rise of the monster, the destruction of the man.

Background

In central Barataria, the grand and wealthy empire of Inferin lay, boasting three major cities in the port Imaginarium, Guantlet of the woods, and the capitorl, Nassen. Inferin was a magocracy, ruled by a council of powerful wizards, but Inferin had grown decadent, more interested in personal diversions rather than improving their empire. The members of the ruling council were the worst offenders, comprised of those who sought to improve their own personal wealth at the expense of the common folk. There was one among them who had a noble heart, however, being wise and virtuous as well as being the most accomplished in magic. His name was Wolfgang Renshar.

Despite his noble standing, Wolfgang was a humble man who treated all folk, noble and servant alike, as equals. He sought to improve the conditions of his people and improve Inferin society. Lord Renshar was known and loved as the voice of the common people of Inferin, but this did not ingratiate him with the nobles who found his ideals interfered with their pursuit of personal wealth. Behind his back, they ridiculed him and this scorn towards him and his family was inherited by their children.

Lord Renshar had two children, the most famous of those being the younger child, Mondain. The elder child's name was less well known in the Ultimas and it was widely assumed that Mondain had an elder brother. The truth of the matter is, Mondain's older sibling was no brother at all, but rather a sister named Ilshen. Being the wise and just man that he was, Wolfgang Renshar had every intention of bequeathing his title and seat to Ilshen when most nobles would bypass daughters in favor of their sons. It was just another reason Wolfgang Renshar was ridiculed by his peers and this decision also weighed heavily on the teenage Mondain. Ilshen was a strong and beautiful young woman, reared to be a virtuous leader just like her father. She was strong enough to withstand the barbs that other noble children cast her way. Mondain, however, struggled with the mockery.

Like Ilshen, Mondain was urged to follow the virtues and he was trained to be a leader, but his character was not as strong as Ilshen. He suffered far more self-doubt. Mondain was an unhappy youth, being mocked by the other noble children who said cruel, cutting things to him. They mocked his family, telling him they were unfit to sit on the council because they did not take pride in their noble status. He was teased because his father took up the causes of commoners, rather than bettering the lives of the nobles. They scorned Mondain himself because, in their words, he was lower than a girl and Ilshen would sit the council instead of him. Thus Mondain was a lonely youth, taking to wandering the woods by himself. Mondain was no evil lad, merely an unhappy and bitter one.

Brainstorming Notes

The Murder of Wolfgang Renshar Seeking to obtain the Ruby Gem in the hopes of rejuvenating his power, Aritoth takes command of Mondain's body and enters Wolfgang's sleeping quarters. Wolfgang is alerted by his wards, however, and a terrible spellbattle ensues. Wolfgang is slain and Aritoth seizes the sunjewel, but the act of possessing Mondain and of battling Wolfgang have weakened him tremendously. He retires to Mondain's room where he falls unconscious. Upon waking, Mondain is back in control of his faculties, having no memory for slaying his father. He is, however, arrested for the murder by the other council members, but he turns the tables upon them.

"I do not have the skill in magic to best my father!" Mondain cried. "This was not my doing! All the realm knows you all envied my father, envied him and hated him. This was your dastardly deed and you lay the blame at my feet so you may remove our family from the council. I'll not have it! I accuse you, the council, of his murder!"

"You have that dark jewel!"

"And my father had the sun jewel to oppose my artifact. How then could I overcome his magic?"

Mondain uses both jewels to overcome the council and he is aided by Imperial Guardsmen who are swayed by his words and take his side.

The name Mondain invokes images of a demonic villain who thrust the world into darkness. Indeed, the common folk know Mondain as the single greatest embodiment of evil this world has ever know. The truth of the matter is, Mondain was quite human. When he unleashed his wars upon the Ultimas, we took up sword and spellbook to fight him. Following the wise words, "Know thy enemy," we delved into his past so that we could understand his motivations. We sought his weaknesses and what we learned was, he was just a man like most of us, plagued by his self-doubts and his fears. What made Mondain so evil? He gave in to his self-doubts and fears.

Here now is the tale as we know it.

Our first source of insight into Mondain's life is the Lady Martha Dibbs. Lady Dibbs managed the servants of Castle Olyrus, which towered high above the City of Nassen in Barataria. Nassen was the capitol of the magocratic nation of Inferin, which spanned much of middle portion of Barataria, stretching from Gauntlet to Imaginarium. By spanning the heartland of Barataria, Inferin was particularly wealthy, taxing trade and possessing some of the richest farmland on the continent. Inferin was ruled by the Magocratic Council which was comprised of eight mages, all living with their families in Castle Olyrus.

Now Martha Dibbs is a portly woman with a gentle smile, kindly eyes, and an engaging demeanor. She's very personable and takes a keen interest in those around her. Being the head of the servants, she was privy to all of their gossip and it was plentiful. The servants were typically beneath the notice of the council members and nobility and so the servants were often on hand during heated debates and private exchanges. For the most part, the servants kept this knowledge secret, sharing it only among themselves for if word got out they had betrayed the trust of the council members, if would have gone ill on them.

The most powerful of the council members was Wolfgang Renshar, a wise and virtuous man who was also the most accomplished mage on the council. He was much beloved by the people for being their voice and for fighting to better their lives. Lady Dibbs spoke very highly of him, painting him as a humble man despite his station. Unlike other nobles, he would treat the staff as equals, as humans. Wolfgang was not the beloved of the other council members, however, who had grown more interested with enhancing their image and increasing their own power and wealth rather than concerning themselves with their people. For this they ridiculed him and this scorn trickled down to their children.

Lord Renshar had two children, the most famous of those being the younger child, Mondain. For ages, scholars have portrayed the elder child as being the brother who stood in the way of Mondain and the hereditary position as a council member of Inferin. Nobody knew of this siblings true name until now. From Martha Dibbs, I learned the truth of the matter. Mondain's eldest sibling was no brother at all, but rather a sister named Ilshen. Being the wise and just man that he was, Wolfgang Renshar had every intention of bequeathing his title and seat to Ilshen when most nobles would bypass daughters in favor of their sons. It was just another reason Wolfgang Renshar was ridiculed by his peers and this decision also weighed heavily on the teenage Mondain. According to Martha, Ilshen was a strong and beautiful young woman, reared to be a virtuous leader just like her father.

Mondain was likewise urged to follow the virtues and he was trained to be a leader, but his character was not as strong as Ilshen. He suffered far more self-doubt. Lady Dibbs paints a picture of a young Mondain being mocked by the other noble children who said cruel, cutting things to him. They mocked his family, telling him they were unfit to sit on the council because they did not take pride in their noble status. He was teased because his father took up the causes of commoners, rather than bettering the lives of the nobles. They scorned him because, in their words, he was lower than a girl and she would sit the council instead of him. Thus Mondain was a lonely youth, taking to wandering the woods by himself. Lady Dibbs assures me he was not an evil lad, merely an unhappy and bitter one.

She tells the tale of how, to fit in, Mondain began treating the servants callowly. Lady Dibbs said, considering his youth and the teasing he endured, the servants were saddened but very understanding of it. Yet when his father, who had always taught his children to be respectful to and mindful of the servants, caught him, Mondain was chastised and punished which led to renewed teasing. Mondain returned to being friendly to the servants, as was his nature, but there was a resentment towards his father. Mondain, wrapped up in the self-pity of youth, blamed his father for all the ills that befell him. Lady Dibbs states that his melancholy grew even more pronounced and he vanished for longer and longer periods of time into the wild.

His lonely wanderings sharpened his magic and his combat ability. There is no better teacher than experience, and Mondain put himself into dangerous situations quite frequently. It is my belief that his sorrow and anger led him to tempt fate, that he considered the prospect of death to be a release from his torment. Mondain didn't really want to die, however. He just flirted with death because he would imagine the remorse his death would bring to his father and to those that teased him.

In fits of rebellion, Mondain would steal from his father, filching prized weapons that he would train with in the woods, then replace them when he was done. He became quite an adept thief and though the servants were aware of his larceny, his father never discovered anything was missing. Then Mondain began taking his father's prized Sunjewel, a flawless ruby gem which harnessed the power of the sun and infused it's wearer with more mana. With this new weapon, he felt invincible. Despite his slight build, Mondain was a good athlete, being quick and agile with a keen mind. The woods were his sanctuary and they were also his domain.

On one of his adventures in the wild, Mondain happened upon a band of brigands who had accosted Twilight Demeniss, a horse trainer at Castle Olyrus whose father managed the stables there. Twilight had been out putting one of the noble steeds through it's paces and the brigands had plotted to kidnap her and ransom her back to her father. Mondain rode in to the rescue, destroying the brigands. He hoped this would finally win him respect, but it didn't. His kindly father praised him, but the other nobles continued to mock him, however, joking about his commoner damsel in distress.

Twilight was very appreciative and grew enamored with Mondain. Although Mondain initially was very cool to her because of the teasing, he could not supress his teenage urgings and he grew enamored with her as well. Together, they began riding the wild as she trained her horses and he escaped the stuffy confines of Castle Olyrus. Twilight became his confidant and he boasted to her of his exploits. She learned of his larceny, but also of his courage and his martial prowess. Her accounts to Lady Dibbs are where the next chapter of our story comes from.

The mocking Mondain endured became more pronounced as Wolfgang clashed more frequently with the other council members as he publicly pushed to install Ilshen has his heir. The nobles balked at having a woman on the council and they opposed Wolfgang simply to thwart him, hoping his tampering with traidition would lend them support, even from the commoners. Mondain was enraged, both at his father and at the other nobles who mocked his manhood. Twilight tried to console him, to ease his anger towards his father. She spoke of how Wolfgang was fighting a noble cause, trying to better the plight of his people.

Mondain's impassioned cry was, "I don't care! He does not care what happens to me! He does not care how this hurts me! I should be the rightful heir. It has always been so. What is it that he so hates in me?"

Mondain fled Twilight at that moment and he vanished for a month, taking the sun jewel with him. The guards of Castle Olyrus scoured the countryside but could find no trace of him. Twilight was fearful that Mondain had committed suicide or had gotten himself killed. After a month, he returned with a triumphant look on his face. His father was greatly relieved and had no harsh words for his wayward son. Mondain returned the sun jewel with an apology. When he spoke with Twilight in private, he revealed where he had gone. Mondain had commandeered a ship and sailed across the bay to the forbidding Death Walker Isle, a rocky island that mariners avoided. It was reputed to be haunted and even at a distance, sailors could make out grotesque stone statues which seemed to warn against exploration. It was one of the most feared sites and the tales told of evil spirits and dire perils populating the island.

In his anger, Mondain braved the perils. He informed Twilight that there were indeed undead creatures there, but he bested them with his blade, with his magic, and with the power of the sun jewel. Upon the mountainous island, he found the entrance to a dungeon. More undead guardians lay within along with many nefarious traps. Mondain overcame them all until he delved to the very heart of the dungeon. There he found an artifact of incredible power. Mondain then produced a flawless black diamond necklace from beneath his jerkin. The gemstone was large and unique and Twilight guessed it was pricessless. She felt a sense of loathing at it, however.

"It made my skin crawl," she told Lady Dibbs.

Still, Twilight said nothing of her fears to Mondain. He was immensely proud of his acquisition, stating it was clearly magic. Like the sun jewel, he could sense the power it offered him. Mondain kept the jewel close to himself, never parting with it. He also began to change. Twilight and Lady Dibbs noticed that Mondain became moodier, at times being very demanding and rude twoards the servants, yet at other times returning to the Mondain they knew and loved. It were as if he were two different people. The servants weren't the only ones who noticed the difference in his demeanor. The other noble children continued to tease him, but he was not cowed the way he had been before. Rather, he responded in a commanding tones, mocking them in turn. Many of the children grew to fear Mondain from that point on. He began hunting, capturing small beasts in the woodlands, controlling them and killing some of them out of sheer sport, according to Marth Dibbs.

Mondain's strange ways were a constant worry to his father. When Mondain was fifteen, his father took a stand.

"Thou shalt take a year off from magic, Mondain, to improve thine attitudes and develop they virtues," Lord Renshar said. "I have arranged for thee to live with the brothers in the abbey, where that shalt practice compassion and humility. Learn thy lessons well, my son, and this ruby gem, which harnesses the power of the sun, shall be thine."

The next night, Mondain slew his father and took the gem for himself. They found him passed out in his room, still bloody from the murder the night before. Lady Dibbs tells of Mondain reacting in horror to the news, insisting is was not him who killed his father. The council members, hearing of the murder, rushed in with their guards. They ordered that Mondain be seized and thrown into prison for the murder of his father. One went so far as to gloat that he would be stripped of his birthright of sitting on the council.

Mondain flew into a black rage and summoned strange magics which he used to free himself. The guards were sorely wounded and the magics of the council members were no match for Mondain and his dark jewel. He bested them all and held them in thrall.

Martha Dibbs was forced to pause at this point in her narrative, shaking visibly as she recalled these moments. After collecting herself, she continued.

"For all my lifetime, you mocked my father's works! You contested him at every turn and now that he has been eliminated you seek to pounce like the vultures you are!" Mondain spat, seething. "I am now the hereditary owner of my father's seat on the council, but I reject it! I reject the entire council. You are not fit to rule and absolve you of all your positions."

Over the next few days, nearly all the council members were tortured and slain.

Mondain and Ilshen: "I didn't kill father!" Mondain asserted passionately. "It wasn't me!"

Ilshen was at a loss for words. The evidence was overwhelming, yet she wanted so desperately to believe her baby brother.

Wolfgang sought to reward Mondain for undertaking the study of virtue, but he was bartering with a chip Mondain already made use of. It is my belief Aritoth's spirit had strengthened enough to set his plans into motion. Mondain slew his father the next night. The next day, when Wolfgang Renshar's body was discovered and the clues discerned, the guard of Castle Olyrus confronted Mondain. They found him unconscious in his room, still bloody from the murder the night before. Lady Dibbs tells of Mondain reacting in horror to the news, insisting it was not him who killed his father. He was cast into prison and was visited by Ilshen and Twilight. A weeping Mondain professed his innocence, though he admitted he thought he killed his father.

It is my belief he was sacrificing them, using their expiring life force to feed Aritoth's weakened spirit.

We know now that the dark jewel was the phylactery, also called horcruxes by some, of Aritoth El'Bashir. These horcruxes have the power to communicate with those who touch them unprotected. Although they do not have the power to force possession, Aritoth, according to all my research, was known to be exceedingly persuasive. It is my belief that he persuaded Mondain to host a portion of his spirit. Thus Mondain became a living horcruxes.

Mondain was a fictional evil wizard in the first Ultima game and one of its main villains.

The young Mondain was born somewhere in the lands of Sosaria. Second born son of the powerful wizard Wolfgang, King of the city-state of Akalabeth. Wolfgang tutored his young son in the ways of magic.

As Mondain's knowledge of the arcane arts of magic grew, he wished more and more to gain his brother's inheritance, and so began to experiment his power over minor creatures, controlling their minds, their actions, even killing them without compassion. Mondain's strange ways were a constant worry to his father. When Mondain was fifteen, his father took a stand.

"Thou shalt take a year off from magic, Mondain. To improve thine attitudes and develop thy virtues,"- Mondain's father said- "I have arranged for thee to live with the brothers in the abbey, where thou shalt practice Compassion and humility."

"Learn thy lessons well, my son and this ruby gem which harnesses the power of the sun, it shall be thine."

Mondain had other plans, and not even his father could stand in his way. The next night he slew his father and took the gem, for he hungered for power. Mondain then began to use his father's gem against itself to produce a black jewel that would render him and his evil immortal. He named this jewel the Gem of Immortality.

As his power grew he gained more control over the minions of darkness. He created many strange, hybrid creatures in his dark laboratories, including minotaurs, lizardmen, orcs and goblins.

He and the young British, Champion of the White Light, had an epic battle deep within the labyrinth of dungeons, where he was defeated and driven away from the kingdom of Akalabeth. Thus British received the title of "Lord British, Protector of Akalabeth". Such a defeat would not be forgotten by Mondain.

Mondain called for all the dark creatures along the universe, even an alien race from another universe responded the dark wizard. The few who escaped their grasp talked about some part tiger, part human creature with some powerful wands of strange fire. Terror invaded Sosaria, and Lord British's plans for unity became more and more appealing. But even the hope and will of the people of Sosaria could not withstand such a threat.

In their darkest hour, Lord British summonded a champion - the Stranger.

Mondain intended to conquer the world of Sosaria. Fortunately, the Stranger, who would become the Avatar, destroyed the Gem of Immortality, which kept Mondain alive and slew him before all of the world was conquered.

Nevertheless, something strange happened, which has never been explained in the series. Three of the four continents of the world apparently disappeared after Mondain's death. Some form of magic prevents anyone from arriving at the other continents. Sometimes lost ships arrive from the other continents, to never be able to go back to where they came from.

The wizard left behind his apprentice and lover, Minax (villain of the second game), and their offspring Exodus (villain of the third game) as well as the shards of his Gem (created the Shadowlords of the fifth game) and his skull (destroyed in the fourth game).

Mondain was also used by the gargoyle race as the physical embodiment of the virtue Control.

Mondain's father sits on the Magocratic Council of Nassen, held in Castle Olorus. It was the largest nation of Darkon, ruling the middle realm and having Gauntlet and Imaginarium under its sway. Mondain's father is reknown for his virtues ways, often objecting to cellulite policies which would increase the wealth of the ruling council, but doing so by shady methods. Thus many of the nobles were quite angered with Mondain's father and their sons and daughters scorned Mondain in turn. Thus Mondain bore anger towards his father.

Mondain is a lonely youth, isolated due to his father's position. He takes to wandering the woods on his own, honing his woodcraft. He is also a skilled mage, learning from his father and the tutors his father has provided. Mondain discovers a dark cave and eventually works up the courage to venture in.

Mondain unleashes the spirit of Aritoth El'Bashir and is seduced by the power that is promised to him. His body is shared and so his behavior begins to seem strange and cruel. He continues to vanish into the wild, but other youths who spy on him to torment him find him slaughtering animals to allow Aritoth to feast upon their souls, thus bringing strength to Aritoth. The youths are sickened and report this to their parents. Aritoth's father grows concerned and takes a stand.

"Thou shalt take a year off from magic, Mondain," his father said, "to improve thine attitudes and develop thy virtues. I have arranged for thee to live with the borthers in the abbey where thou shalt practice compassion and humility. Learn they lessons well, my son, and htis ruby gem, which harnesses the power o the sun, shall be thin."

Mondain said nothing. The next night, Aritoth moved Mondain to slay his father and take the jewel for himself. He had grown sufficiently strengthened to influence Mondain to seek his independence and to begin rebuilding his old empire.

Aritoth will take the ruby pendent and corrupt it at the altars of Hatred, Cowardice, and Falsehood.

Rules of the Game: Aritoth's spirit and mana weaken when his spirit is not resting. When his spirit is resting, it is unaware. When it is aware, it cannot utilize his senses. He must take Mondain's body over to enjoy his senses, and this wearies his spirit greatly.

Minax is what Mondain lusts after. He yearned for the power so that he could win a beautiful woman like her. He psared her form the agents of the Shadowlords, which they were not pleased about. Minax grows powerful, however, and Aritoth fears her. He takes control of Mondain and chains Minax up, conducting the ritual of bonding with her, impregnanting her with Exodus, who is born swiftly due to it's demonic nature. Exodus is the child of Aritoth, Minax, and Mondain. The ritual imbues it with demonic powers. Due to it's demonic nature, it saps power from Minax. Thus Aritoth uses Exodus to keep Minax in line. Minax's agents are closely aligned with Mondain's personal agents. The agents of Exodus are more closely alligned with Aritoth's agents. He makes use of teh Juka. The Shadowlords are the agents of Aritoth.

Exodus: Sosaria & Ilshenar Minax: Felsaria, Losalan,