Imprisonment of the Nameless

[Original Publication by Academician Elesa Anah]

A glimpse into the past - Imprisonment of the Nameless

This is the story of Amedus, granted through visions to myself, Wellaby and Ceria as we journeyed to the Limbo of Death.

In ancient days, S'handor was a great Bastion of Light, and the home of the Order of Light. During an era known in ancient texts as 'The Coming', legions of undead rose to wage war on all of life. They were controlled by the Nameless, a dark and sinister entity; some claim it is the origin of the beings of Unlife, the source of all undead, vampires and liches. Zigmunt the Ageless, Leader of the Order of Light, and Amedus, Lord Runemaster of the Order of Light, took up arms against these forces of evil, but eventually realized they were fighting a losing battle. They began planning for more drastic measurements, seeing no way to victory other than striking at the very source of evil.

Almost a full year passed and the troops of the Nameless had laid siege upon the fortress S'handor, having advanced at an alarming rate. Nothing seemed to stop them. With every battle, their ranks grew in numbers. Every ally of Light that fell was a lost soldier, only to be raised by foul necromancy and do battle against his former compatriots. Amidst all this chaos, Amedus devised a plan to imprison the Nameless. He created the Pillar of Souls of pure starstone and engraved upon it the runes of Life, Light and Earth. One thousand clerics sanctified the holy stone using divine magics, yet Amedus was having doubts as the steepest of prices remained to be paid; the souls of one hundred of the Order of Light, to ward and seal the Nameless for all eternity. Yet there was no choice. S'handor fell, and it seemed as if life itself would be extinguished. They evacuated, bringing the Pillar with them. For long years, they worked tirelessly to finish their task.

Out of love, these holy men gave not only life, but also their souls for eternity to capture the Nameless. Chanting words of power, they finally disappeared with the Pillar, using magics of such power and magnitude the world has never felt before or after. With them, they took the Nameless, and managed to break Death's hold over the world. The Pillar was buried under the Isle of Souls, beneath the Gate of Judgement. The gate was made to prevent the Nameless' power from seeping into this world, and keep mortals away from the Pillar.

Amedus himself remained, he never entered the pillar. He became a broken man, wrecked with guilt over the sacrificed of his brothers. These are the words his apparition spoke to us:

"They went! Knowing that an eternal imprisonment awaits them they still went! My friends, loyal men, mentors and students. I did not even see them go. Great plight is cowardice, for it makes enemy of oneself. And as time does pass so does the venom of guilt build. And when time, guilt and fear are your enemy, even the greatest men shall kneel to their power."

Eventually, he used his magic arts to send his soul to the plane known as Limbo of Death, thereby staving off his own inevitable demise, in an effort to escape the wrath of the Nameless. However, even there it was only a matter of time before the Nameless found him and wrecked the knowledge of Runelore from Amedus mind. He passed this knowledge to Virigoth, who in turn used it to forge four keys that would compromise most of the gate's power, and thereby pass it into the Limbo, land of the dead, and allowing the Nameless to corrupt the power of the clerics within the Pillar.

In order to weaken this evil, travel to the Limbo with the four keys and bring them to Amedus.

"Courage, Honor and Perseverance. Remember those and fear not even Death itself."

- Azami