IV. The Shadow of Immortality
As mortals delved deeper into the mysteries of magic and sought to extend their lives beyond the confines of mortality, they embarked on a perilous journey that would forever alter the course of history in Eldareth.
Drawing upon the darkest aspects of both necromancy and blood magic, a handful of mages began experimenting with rituals that involved the consumption of blood and the manipulation of life forces to achieve immortality. By binding their souls to the forces of darkness, these mages infused their bodies with the essence of undeath, transcending the limitations of mortal life.
This transformation was a harrowing process, marked by pain, suffering, and the consumption of copious amounts of blood. As the dark magic consumed their bodies and souls, they underwent a metamorphosis, emerging from the shadows as creatures of the night, with pale skin, and an insatiable hunger for the lifeblood of the living.
It was through this unholy union of blood magic and necromancy that the first vampires were born. Known as the Antediluvians, these mages had sacrificed their humanity in pursuit of eternal life, forever bound by their insatiable thirst for blood. With their newfound power, they would exert influence over the mortal world from the shadows, manipulating events and shaping the course of history to suit their own desires. Feared and reviled by mortals, they became the stuff of legend and myth, their names whispered in hushed tones and their presence a harbinger of doom.
As knowledge of the existence of the Antediluvians spread throughout Eldareth, other mortals became both fascinated and fearful of these immortal beings. Some sought to emulate their dark powers, delving further into the forbidden arts in a desperate bid to achieve immortality for themselves. From alchemical concoctions to arcane rituals, they left no stone unturned in their quest for eternal life, willing to sacrifice anything -and anyone- in their relentless pursuit of power. Countless experiments were conducted, and many lives were sacrificed in pursuit of this elusive goal. While many would fail, a select, ambitious few would even surpass the successes of their predecessors.
As was expected, many did not welcome these developments and opposed the practice of extending mortal life through unnatural means, viewing it as an affront to the natural order. Fearing the consequences of unchecked magical experimentation and the rise of immortal tyrants, they organized themselves into inquisitions, dedicated to rooting out and eradicating the practitioners of forbidden arts.
Armed with righteous fervor and unwavering resolve, these zealots hunted down suspected heretics and witches, purging them from society in a bid to cleanse Eldareth of the taint of dark magic. Led by clerics and paladins, these inquisitions sought to purge the land of the taint of undeath and pursued vampires and necromancers alike with relentless determination to cleanse the land of their corruption.
A new age of turmoil was dawning upon the realms, both sides fervently pushing back against each other. And as the attention of the world was focused elsewhere, there were those who saw an opportunity to pursue their ambitions, in the shadow of this conflict.
There was one mortal who set on a quest to achieve the unthinkable. Born into a life of privilege and endowed with formidable magical talent, he rose to prominence as a prodigy among mages, earning the title of archmage at a young age, and commanding respect and admiration from his peers.
Yet, despite his outward success and acclaim, the archmage harbored a secret ambition that burned within him like a blazing fire. He yearned to transcend the limitations of mortal life and achieve a form of immortality that would grant him unrivaled power and dominion over the realms of magic and knowledge.
To achieve his lofty goals, the archmage devised a plan that would require the utmost discretion and cunning, requiring him to navigate the treacherous waters of politics and intrigue, forging alliances and manipulating events to further his agenda. Recognizing the inherent dangers of delving into forbidden arts and dark rituals, he knew that drawing attention to his research on immortality would invite scrutiny and opposition from those who sought to preserve the natural order.
Therefore, he resolved to operate in secret, concealing his true intentions and allying himself with unexpected allies. By aligning himself with the Inquisition, he gained access to invaluable resources and information, exploiting his position of trust to confiscate research and artifacts related to the forbidden arts. Under the guise of rooting out heresy and dark magic, he covertly gathered the knowledge and materials necessary to pursue his quest for eternal life, leveraging his position to acquire and confiscate research from rival mages and practitioners of the dark arts, all while maintaining the facade of a loyal servant of the Magisterium.
Yet, even as he pursued his research, the archmage remained acutely aware of the limitations of conventional forms of immortality, such as vampirism. He knew that to achieve true mastery over life and death, he would need to transcend the constraints of mortal flesh and unlock the secrets of arcane power on a scale never before imagined.
As years passed, and he delved deeper into his research and honed his mastery over the dark arts, he recognized the need for allies who shared his vision. Leveraging his influence and position within the Inquisition, he discreetly reached out to other practitioners of the dark arts, carefully selecting those whose skills and ambitions aligned with his own. These confidantes became his trusted collaborators, sharing their knowledge and expertise as they worked together to unravel the secrets of immortality. Through careful manipulation and strategic alliances, he ensured that his research remained shrouded in secrecy, shielded from prying eyes and potential adversaries.
Over time, the archmage's tireless efforts bore fruit, culminating in a breakthrough that would forever change the course of his destiny. Through a combination of ancient rituals, arcane incantations, and mystical artifacts, he devised a method to transcend the limitations of his mortal coil and achieve true immortality.
At the heart of his discovery lay the concept of soul separation, a daring and perilous ritual that involved severing his soul from his physical body and storing it within an enchanted receptacle that would serve as a repository for his soul, all while preserving his consciousness and essence for eternity.
In a ceremony shrouded in secrecy, he performed the ritual of soul separation, severing the tether that bound his soul to his mortal body and transferring it into the meticulously crafted phylactery. As the ritual reached its crescendo, a surge of dark energy enveloped the archmage, transforming him into a being of boundless power, the first Lich of the realms. With his soul safely housed within the phylactery, he had achieved true immortality, transcending the limitations of flesh and blood, free from the ravages of time.
But even as he basked in the glory of his newfound power, the archmage knew that his journey was far from over for that was only the first step of his devious plan.
As the archmage completed his transformation into a lich, he took decisive measures to ensure that his newfound immortality remained a closely guarded secret. Anyone who had knowledge of the ritual or attended the ceremony met a swift and silent demise, their memories erased and their tongues forever silenced, eliminating any potential threats to his existence and erasing all traces of his involvement in the forbidden arts. With no witnesses to reveal his dark secret, the archmage vanished into the shadows, leaving no trace of his existence behind.
In the years that followed, the archmage employed his considerable influence to manipulate events from behind the scenes, orchestrating the retreat of the vampires to remote locations of the world, and guiding the actions of the Inquisition to suppress talk of immortality and dark magic. Through careful manipulation and cunning stratagems, he ensured that the threat of dark magic and immortality would start to fade from the public consciousness, allowing him to maintain his grip on power without fear of discovery or reprisal.
As whispers of immortality and dark magic began fading into obscurity, the archmage too, faded from the public scene, retreating into seclusion to bide his time and consolidate his power. Freed from the constraints of mortal aging, he watched as the decades passed, observing the ebb and flow of history with the detached perspective of an immortal observer. And as the years passed, the memory of the archmage faded from memory, becoming little more than a whispered legend passed down through the ages, yet even as he remained hidden from the world, the lich continued to scheme and plot.