List of characters from Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

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This is a list of characters from Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, arranged by order in the story.

[edit] Alexandra Roivas

Alexandra Roivas is the main character from the video game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. She is a student at the University of Washington, completing her graduate degree in abstract mathematics and number theory. She is voiced by Jennifer Hale.

She is awoken one morning at 3:33 AM to a phone call of Detective LeGrasse. He tells about the death of her grandfather, Edward Roivas. She immediately takes the first flight over to his mansion in Rhode Island to help LeGrasse identify the body. There are a few details about the incident she finds strange. Edward's mutilated body is found in the library with several body parts missing, including his head, yet there are no signs of a break-in or struggle. Feeling that the detective is incompetent (LeGrasse admits that the case is perplexing and doesn't make any sense), Alex decides to solve the mystery on her own. After searching the mansion for days, she comes across her grandfather's secret study hidden behind a false wall. She finds the Tome of Eternal Darkness lying on a table.

As Alex begins to read the Tome, she finds herself reliving the experiences of those she reads about. She learns that the book is actually a historical account of humanity's war against the Darkness, and it documents the others who have come across the Tome themselves, as well as being a source of magickal power linked to a dying Ancient known as Mantorok. All but a few of the eleven people Alex reads about suffer an incredibly gruesome death some time after acquiring the knowledge of the Tome. Alex is the final person to come across the Tome. She must use the power within the Tome either to stop the Ancient whom Pious Augustus has summoned forth and save humanity, or perish like the others.

While Alex gains more and more insight from the Tome, Pious Augustus has been on an alternate plane for the last two millennia preparing to summon his Ancient, coming into this world from time to time to exert the Ancient's will and despair upon humanity. She also learns of a great city, Ehn'gha, which houses a power that is able to combat an Ancient, but which has fallen to Pious' creations and is now home to several thousand monsters. Almost like a race for the finish line, Alex gains enough knowledge from the Tome to realize that Ehn'gha is literally "downstairs", and she prepares for her destiny, after finding several of the Ancients' essences littered through the mansion, both the Essences dominant and dominated by Pious' Ancient, and the Black Heart of Mantorok.

While this is happening, Alex receives brief visits of her grandfather's ghost, who comforts her. Then Pious himself takes the guise of her grandfather's ghost in an attempt to demoralize her, but Alex recognizes the subterfuge. In a titanic battle of wills, she forces him to leave her.

Using the magick learned from the Tome, along with the letters, clues, and items that her ancestors and people mentioned in the Tome leave her, Alex gains just enough leverage to handle Pious and his plans. She descends to the City of Ehn'gha to find the 9-point-rune machine that Edward used to dispel (and thereby destroy) the evil in Ehn'gha, and she begins to cast the most powerful summoning spell there is, powering it with the stolen and retrieved Essences. She summons a rival Ancient to combat Pious'. The two Ancients fight to the death somewhere in the Universe, while Alex and Pious battle in his alternate plane to which she was summoned soon after triggering the release of her Ancient. Pious is protected by both his Ancient and the Ancient's artifact, from which he get his magickal powers. Alex's Ancient gains the upper hand (the Tome mentions the cyclical powers of the three Ancients, and how each Ancient dominates another) and eventually kills Pious' Ancient. Without the artifact nor his Ancient to protect him, Pious quickly loses the fight and meets his end. However, this leaves Alex's Ancient to wreak havoc upon the universe, but this is thwarted by a Bind spell which her deceased grandfather invokes as a phantom.

The final chapter ends with Alex's interpretation of the events she has experienced, thus completing the Tome.

[edit] Pious Augustus

Pious Augustus is the primary villain, though in terms of influence or power many would consider his role to be secondary. Initially a playable character in the first chapter of the Tome of Eternal Darkness, Pious is quickly thrust into a villainous role by powers well beyond his control and initially beyond his understanding.

In the game, he is voiced by Richard Doyle.

[edit] Biography

Pious the Centurion

Pious Augustus the Centurion.

In 26 BC, Pious and his troops are sent on an expedition by their emperor to find an artifact which is apparently of unimaginable value or power. Though some of Pious’s soldiers doubt whether or not the artifact actually exists, Pious is adamant in his faith in his emperor’s belief - and, more importantly, his orders. After a notable battle, Pious has to reassure one of his subordinate commanders that he does, in fact, believe that the artifact exists - and, more importantly, that the emperor has commanded that they should search for it.

After bidding his subordinates to tend to the troops, Pious hears disembodied voices calling to him. Following the sound of the voices, Pious comes to a ring of five obelisks decorated with indecipherable runes. Walking into the middle of the ring, Pious is engulfed by yellow magick emitted by the obelisks and apparently disappears.

Reappearing inside of a subterranean temple, Pious is forced to explore in an attempt to find a way out. During his exploration he is forced into combat with zombies (creatures of Mantorok, vainly attempting to guard the Ancients’ Essences) and comes upon artifacts in several rooms which evince the further presence of magick in the temple.

Eventually, Pious discovers a room notable in that it contains three pedestals with floating statues above them. Whether Pious assumes that these statues are the artifacts he is searching for is never made clear, but he means to take one or all regardless. Unbeknownst to him, these statues are actually the Essences of the Ancients, a race of beings that exist beyond the normal boundaries of reality. When he touches one of these essences he is bombarded with a colored magick, his body burned out by the energy he's being exposed to, and arises, some time later, as Pious Augustus the Liche.

Pious the Liche

Pious the Liche.

Pious Augustus exists essentially as an undead sorcerer after coming into contact with the essence of his chosen Ancient. He is filled with the power of the Ancient he represents, almost acting as a conduit for their power on Earth. The choice Pious makes is the root of the diverging timelines within the game.

The unifying actions in each version of Pious’s life are as follows, and apply for every Ancient’s timeline:

Pious is attempting to free the Ancient he is serving.
Pious is the one who binds Mantorok by impaling him with magickally-empowered stakes (a spell which utilizes a rare 9-level Circle of Power in the game, and of Mantorok’s own alignment, no less).
Pious is directly or indirectly responsible for the death of most of the characters who die during the course of the game.
Pious serves a Nyarlathotep-like role in the human universe, being a mere envoy of the true force behind him, with the same characteristic ability to use masks to cloak its true form and purpose, and bizarre gods with destruction of humanity as main themes of their agendas.

Aside from those unifying themes, Pious’s relationships with his particular Ancients are strangely different.

Under Chattur’gha, the Ancient whose power lies in force and who is sometimes referred to as “The Great Being of Matter”, Pious chiefly serves as the mind behind all scheming: he plans the death of Charlemagne without having to consult his lord, independently plans the summoning spell that will release Chattur’gha, and in general works with Chattur’gha’s blessing instead of his permission.

It should be noted that Chattur’gha is the only Ancient that Pious even comes close to questioning, particularly when the Ancient places his faith in an unspecific vision while Pious is having to retool his plan to deal with some very heavy setbacks after the decimation of the city of Ehn'gha. If not for Pious’s generally unwavering loyalty, it could even be put forth that Pious looks down on Chattur’gha, in a way, as his mental inferior.

Under Ulyaoth, the Ancient whose chief power lies in magick and who is sometimes referred to as the “Master of the Planes”, Pious’s role is still central to the success of the Ancient’s release but he is looked down upon by his master. An example of this would be when Pious says that his meditations reveal a flaw in “our plan”, and Ulyaoth mocks him for calling it their plan, simultaneously belittling Augustus for his stupidity and limitations (a theme in their conversations) and absolving himself of all responsibility if anything goes wrong.

Xel’lotath appears to be insane, suffering from a condition akin to disassociative identity disorder, in this case she displays two distinct personalities that are apparently aware of each other and even passively communicate. One of them openly distrusts Augustus, vocally expresses the fact he's lying about the fact he is serving them willingly and quite often berates him for his lack of information, while the other, while conceding Augustus is not worthy of trust, imparts orders and directs Augustus to do its bidding according to the master plan that had been drawn millennia before.

Xel’lotath takes a more active role in planning her escape than the other Ancients - as an example, when Pious serves her, she is actually the one who plans out Charlemagne’s death, at least insofar as she decides that he should be eliminated. Additionally, while the other Ancients simply command Pious to kill Charlemagne, one of Xel'lotath's personalities suggests Pious to either kill him, while the other one tells him to drive Charlemagne to insanity, while then both together propose to do both, a trait, that while not alien to the Ancients, no other of them has vocally expressed with such sadism.

Regardless of whom he serves, Pious ultimately succeeds in releasing his patron Ancient, though his efforts are counter-acted by Alexandra Roivas, who summons the Ancient dominant over his own (if he summons Xel’lotath then she will summon Chattur’gha, etc.) and engages him in combat. Pious is initially protected by a shield provided by his patron Ancient’s essence, but it requires a recharging by the essence itself if the shield is disrupted by a dominant magick. Alex is able to disrupt the power of the essence by using a dominant magick, allowing the ghosts of those killed by Pious and the Ancients to do battle with him.

Eventually, through the efforts of the dead, the essence is destroyed - this occurrence means that Pious cannot receive the power from his Ancient, and Pious is left to do combat with Alex and her Ancient’s power by himself. Pious meets his end at Alex’s hand when he collapses and she impales him with his own staff.

[edit] Ellia

1150 A. D. - A Cambodian dancer in the court of Suryavarman II, Ellia finds The Tome of Eternal Darkness and becomes inspired to be adventurous. Wandering around inside a temple she accidentally comes across an impaled Mantorok, the "Corpse God" or "Ancient of Order and Chaos". She is given the gift of eternal life by a spirit, who gives her Mantorok's essence. The Black Heart is quickly forced inside Ellia's body moments before Pious kills her. Ellia lives on though; like the Corpse God himself, Mantorok's essence continues to beat inside her body, keeping her "alive" long enough as a rotted husk of a woman to pass the Heart onto Dr. Lindsey, upon which time Ellia finally passes on.

It's worth noting that it would be unusual for someone in Ellia's social standing to be literate at that time, though given the Tome's mysterious nature (not to mention the disparate languages spoken by the characters who possess it) it's possible that she was able to read it despite being otherwise illiterate, a theme hinted at Manly Wade Wellman's Cthulhu Mythos story The Terrible Parchment, where the first page of the Necronomicon, a damned book in the line of the Tome of Eternal Darkness, is able to morph so anybody can read the unbinding spells.

She is voiced by Kim Mai Guest

[edit] Anthony

814 A. D. - Amiens, France - A loyal French messenger during the reign of Charlemagne the Frank, Anthony is presented with a scroll to deliver to Charlemagne by a mysterious figure. Suspicious, Anthony opens the scroll to find that it has been enchanted with dark magick, and Anthony realizes he has to warn Charlemagne that he is being targeted. As he nears Charlemagne's chambers Anthony stumbles upon the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and the dark magick that hit him earlier begins to corrode his flesh. Although he tries, he does not make it in time to deliver the message, as he arrives to discover Charlemagne lying dead, plagued by the same curse that struck Anthony. Upon seeing this, Anthony cries out in despair and collapses under the effects of the curse, that forces him to revive every time he dies, even at the hands of enemies (if he is killed in combat, he will immediately revive).

An undead Anthony later appears, centuries later, in Paul Luther's level as a mini-boss, still suffering from the curse. However, Paul is able to relinquish the curse's hold on Anthony, ending his life once and for all by killing him and retrieving a mystical ruby that had been placed in his eye socket.

[edit] Karim

565 A. D. - Persia - A brash young man of noble heritage, Karim has been given a new perspective on life after the beautiful Chandra offers him her heart in favor of retrieving an artifact. Karim does so blindly; and finds the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Walking in the footsteps of Pious, Karim also stumbles upon an artifact of the Ancients. Chandra's spirit appears; apologizing to Karim that he has to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the artifact from darkness. Karim's spirit lingers; a consolation that he'll get to spend many years with Chandra before the Chosen One, Roberto Bianchi, claims the artifact and allows their spirits to finally rest in peace.

[edit] Maximillian Roivas

1760 A. D. - British colony of Rhode Island - A successful medical doctor, Max inherits the mansion after the death of his father, Aaron. Like Edward's clues that he drops for Alex, Aaron has written a few letters and hidden them throughout the mansion. Once Max finds them, he realizes that evil is all around him, for the mansion itself is built upon the ruined city of Ehn'gha where the Ancients used to dwell. Using the clues, Max finds the secret study and claims the Tome of Eternal Darkness. With the book and Aaron's notes in hand, Max begins a 'cleansing' of sorts and begins to kill his servants, suspecting them of being bonethieves (as accounted in the tome). Slaughtering his servants began to take its toll, as Max becomes increasingly disturbed. After destroying a guardian of Pious's Ancient, Max is put in an asylum for the rest of his life, unable to deliver the message of truth to the world.

Sometime between Max's chapter and his imprisonment, Max entered his servant's quarters and killed all four of them, believing them all to be possessed by Bonethieves. It's later hinted by parts in Alex's story that only one of them was. The event and all those involved (except the Bonethief) haunt the family and their mansion.

During Max's chapter the player can perform autopsies on dead creatures and obtain a file with an anatomical sketch of each creature. After Max's chapter is completed, the other characters can view the autopsy files and listen to Max describe each creature. With each description Max's voice becomes increasingly paranoid and agitated, further illustrating his slowly decreasing sanity. By replaying the game with each alignment the player can earn an autopsy file for all of the creatures in the game (with the exception of three creatures that do not appear in Max's chapter, the Vampire, The Gatekeepers, and the Black Guardian).

[edit] Dr Edwin Lindsey

1983 A. D. - Angkor Thom region, Cambodia - An archaeologist in search of artifacts, Lindsey's satellite technology pinpoints the location of a temple in Cambodia as yet unexplored by modern archaeology. Without government funding, Lindsey finds the available resources from Paul Augustine. Lindsey quickly discovers that Paul has ulterior motives (the player realizes that Paul Augustine is actually Pious Augustus, although Lindsey does not) and the two have a gunfight. Paul escapes, but traps Lindsey. Without a way out, Lindsey decides to seek out the artifact anyway. He finds the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and eventually finds Mantorok's chambers and Ellia's desiccated corpse sprawled over an idyllic statue. Lindsey is given cryptic but obvious words of warning from Ellia, but she entrusts him with the Heart of Mantorok, realizing that he will be able to bring it to the 'Gathering of Light' (the Roivas family mansion in Rhode Island). Once Lindsey acquires the heart, Ellia's body disintegrates, finally releasing the spirit of the young dancer. Lindsey successfully delivers Mantorok's heart to Edward Roivas, bringing an end to his role in the story.

[edit] Paul Luther

1485 A. D. - Amiens, France - A Franciscan monk who aspires to see the Hand of Jude finds himself in search of refuge during the Inquisitions. Paul ends up in Oublie Cathedral, but is quickly accused of a devilry after the monks discover a disturbing murder within the cathedral . Paul is held captive, but a belltower Custodian warns Paul of treachery within the ranks and sets him free to leave. Paul refuses, telling the Custodian that he'll find out if there is treachery afoot within the monks. He finds the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and begins to learn more about the evils that happen inside the cathedral. The head monk turns out to be Pious Augustus, who has summoned a Black Guardian to protect his artifact and learns that the binding spell is not strong enough to hold the being unless it was led to believe that it was doing its summoned task. Using the nonexistent Hand of Jude as a pretext, Pious is able to lure monks to his Black Guardian for sacrifice and feeding. Paul learns of all of this, and reports it to his only ally, the Custodian. The Custodian is given enough evidence, but is quickly taken away as Paul ventures deeper into the cathedral. Paul finds a blood soaked Custodian sliced open on a sacrificial altar, your previous actions having killed him, and realizes that his chances of escape have become incredibly slim. Paul eventually comes face to face with the Black Guardian itself--and it kills Paul without a moment's hesitation.

[edit] Roberto Bianchi

1460 A. D. - Persia - A Venetian artist/architect, Roberto is captured by a warlord (shown to the player to be Pious) and is forced to survey a site for the establishment of a great monument. Roberto stumbles upon the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and realizes not only are the foundations weak, but evil inhabits the entire area. He eventually enters the room where the artifact is held, guarded by Karim and Chandra. Karim attempts to kill Roberto, but his powers do not work, meaning that Roberto must be a Chosen One. Karim gives Roberto a few words of wisdom before departing with Chandra, and Roberto himself returns to the camp with the artifact hidden in his clothes to report his findings. The warlord, who turns out to be Pious Augustus in disguise, offers Roberto insight as well to his true purpose, and Roberto is quickly sent to his death: a contribution to the Pillar of Flesh, a blasphemous tribute to Pious' master: a massive pillar filled with human beings, and sealed with concrete.

[edit] Peter Jacob

1916 A. D. - Amiens, France - Peter is a freelance journalist who's staying in Oublie Cathedral for the time being, researching his latest story from the frontlines during the Battle of the Somme. The cathedral has been transformed into a field hospital; but Peter is quick to see that there is something disturbing about the operations of the medical staff. Healthy soldiers are being dragged somewhere, and nobody who comes in wounded ever leaves, so Peter decides to find answers. He finds the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and learns about the Black Guardian and its need for sacrifices to keep Pious' binding intact. As if it were his calling, Peter, utilizing the full powers of the Tome, singlehandedly defeats the Black Guardian using the arcane magicks taught from the book. He takes the Artifact, shielding his hands with shreds of cloth. Sixty nine years later, when he has become an old man, he recounts the entire story to Edward Roivas, then offers to give the Artifact to him, revealing it has been slowly taking up his mind, "calling out" to him, beckoning to be set free.

[edit] Dr. Edward Roivas

1952 A. D. - Rhode Island, USA - Edward is a scholar and psychiatrist continuing his research in the footsteps of his ancestors. He's been fascinated his whole life by the sordid and strange histories of his entire ancestry; and wonders why his family tree appears to be cursed. The spirit of Maximillian Roivas appears before Edward, telling him to finish what he's started, and points Edward to the secret study. Edward claims the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and continues the work that Max could not complete. Edward learns of the city of Ehn'gha, and finds a massive 9-point-rune machine which, according to the Tome, would amplify a spell with great power. Using the knowledge that Pious Augustus is brewing an army of his Ancient's will from the tome, Edward makes haste and casts a 9-point counterspell using the machine, "Dispel Magick", to destroy Pious's hard work and to drain the city of the energies it has absorbed through millennia of Pious' power accruing. Suffering an incredible defeat, Pious and his Ancient agree to destroy Edward. In the year 2000, Edward is murdered in his home by one of the powerful Guardians of the chosen Ancient, sparking the police investigation depicted in the game's opening. Death is not the end for Edward, though, as he appears as a ghost to his granddaughter, offering comfort and encouragement when she needs it, and, after Pious and his Ancient are defeated, it is Edward who stops the victorious Ancient summoned by Alex (and saves humanity), by changing a rune to alter a summoning spell to a binding one.

[edit] Michael Edwards

1991 A. D. - Middle East - A Canadian industrial firefighter, sent to cap the oil wells near the close of the Persian Gulf War. Michael and his crew planted dynamite charges to seal off one of the well caps, but they exploded prematurely under the influence of the ancients; he and his entire crew were blasted into a cave, where he found that he was the lone survivor of the accident. Michael sees the foundation of the Pillar of Flesh, and sees Roberto's ghastly face petrified within the monument. Roberto's spirit appears, tells Michael of his approaching dark task, and hands him one of the artifacts. Soon after, Michael acquires the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and learns that more evil is brewing within the area. He realizes that he has to destroy the evil before escaping - using the Tome's magick combined with heavy explosives, Michael unleashes a massive bomb which destroys the remnants of the Forbidden City. He escapes with the artifact, and sets up a meeting with Edward Roivas, as directed by the Tome. He delivered the artifact to Edward in a boxed parcel, saying to Edward that he probably wouldn't last the night, as "they" were after him. Although what happens to him after this is unknown, it is possible he may have survived, as there is no statue depicting him in the hall that contains the infamous Tome of Eternal Darkness. In Ashes to Ashes, depending on the actions taken by Karim and Roberto, Michael may or may not find an enchanted Gladius sword, destined for the hand of the Chosen of the Light. In 2000, Alexandra Roivas receives a package containing the sword (if Michael acquires it) and the final essence required to power up the massive 9-point-rune machine located within Ehn'gha to summon the Ancient that destroys Pious. This suggests that Michael survived the night he said he wouldn't last.

[edit] Ancients

The Ancients are a fictional group of god-like beings, affecting nearly all of the game's events depending on which of their Essences was selected by Pious Augustus in his chapter.

Bound by mysterious events in the past, the Ancients wait beyond the veil of mortal perception, biding their time until the right moment to return to our mortal plane and enact the enslavement and destruction of humanity. The game's protagonists, particularly Alexandra Roivas, must put an end to their machinations. The four featured Ancients appearing in the game are:

[edit] Chattur'gha

Chattur'gha--the Great Being of Matter--is the Ancient God of Strength and powers of the Flesh. He is presented in the game as a being of raw physical power and having relatively little intelligence or imagination. His voice is low, guttural, and can occasionally seem to have more than one tone at a time, thus at first-glance he may appear to be the most intimidating of the three Ancients. He takes the shape of a bulky, armor-shelled worm-like being with multiple eyes and mouths, two of which resemble a lobster's pincers. The artifact containing his Essence is called the Claw of Chattur'gha, resembling a red-clawed worm with a burning aura around it. He and his minions are characterized by a harsh blood-red color, an exposed muscular structure (in some cases), great strength, and regenerative capabilities. Chattur'gha's immense physical power gives him an advantage over Xel'lotath, whose madness does not affect the mindless, but his focus on pure force leaves him unable to defend against the magicks of Ulyaoth.

During his control of Pious Augustus he displays gullibility, as he relies on Pious's word, and puts his faith in a vague prophetic vision where he destroys Xel'lotath (though Ulyaoth and Xel'lotath also make similar mistakes). Pious does not seem quite as reverent towards him, and even expresses doubts as to the viability of their plans. It would, however, be a mistake to dismiss Chattur'gha as harmless. His power and strength make up for his deficiency in matters of the mind, and as an Ancient, he has much arcane knowledge. The most ignorant Ancient still possesses understanding of the universe far beyond the comprehension of mankind.

[edit] Ulyaoth

Ulyaoth--Master of the Planes--is the Ancient God of Magick. He is characterized by great wisdom and patience. His observations of the multiverse are deceptively calm and detached, as his intentions toward humanity are monstrous. His appearance is that of an enormous jellyfish with bony plating over its bell and tentacles, and his Essence inhabits the Veil of Ulyaoth, a bluish dome with sharp arms or talons curving downward. He and all things associated with him–his servants, artifacts, etc–appear as cool, ghostly blue, and have delicate tentacles (or legs) that float downward. Many have no eyes, and all have large patches of body parts composed of a material resembling jellyfish skin. Ulyaoth's sway over the fabric of the universe gives the plotting, scheming god an advantage against the brutish Chattur'gha, who relies on pure physical force. Due to Ulyaoth's focus on building mental faculties, he is susceptible to the madness induced by Xel'lotath.

During his control of Pious Augustus, he ensures that Pious is aware of his insignificance, “The Universe is a yawning chasm, filled with emptiness and the puerile meanderings of sentience. Why should you deserve special consideration within it, Augustus, above all else?” Pious is humbled, and submits himself devotedly to Ulyaoth.

[edit] Xel'lotath

Xel'lotath is the Ancient Goddess of Madness. Of the three Ancients Alex must battle, she appears to have a much deeper knowledge and understanding of the universe, and is much more aware of the other Ancients' plans. This extreme knowledge seems to take a toll on her sanity, however, and she is hesitant to depend on or trust anyone, even her human servants. Her physical form takes the shape of a dark-colored entity with four arms surrounding a single gigantic green eye; a long tail drapes downwards from it, the shape of which seems to indicate the curves of a female form. In short, she vaguely resembles a four armed, headless mermaid. The vessel of her Essence is called the Sigil of Xel'lotath, an impossible artifact resembling a warped angel. All things in her domain are characterized by the aura of madness and an insipid green color; many of the creatures aligned with her have no heads and appear to be in a perpetual state of decay. Xel'lotath's infectious madness gives her an advantage over the scheming Ulyaoth, who relies on careful planning; but she is easily overwhelmed by the sheer strength of Chattur'gha.

During her command of Pious Augustus, she displays a somewhat antagonistic relationship with him, appreciating him but openly stating that she distrusts him. It is difficult to discern whether this is an example of her insight—if Pious was truly plotting against her—or if she is simply paranoid as a result of her insanity (something hinted at by her bizarre and contradictory speech patterns, similar to dissociative identity disorder).

Her servants are more bizarre than those of the other ancients: her Zombies' limbs are replaced with ghost limbs as they're removed, her Bonethieves do not have heads (which would traditionally be a Bonethief's weakness), instead of heads, her Horrors have eyes with toothy lids (still its weakness), and her Guardians are enchanted corpses mashed together, in contrast to the others' guardians, which appear to be composed more naturally. Her Black Guardian kills Paul Luther at the end of his stage by psychokinetically levitating him into the air and making his head explode, whereas the Black Guardians of the other Ancients merely crush him under their massive limbs.

[edit] Mantorok

Mantorok, God of Order and Chaos, also known as the Corpse God, the Great Ancient, the Dead God, and a number of other soubriquets, is the creator of the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Unlike the other Ancients who have no regard for human concepts of morality, Mantorok is actually somewhat partial to the human race, even so far as to become a fertility god to a Cambodian village.

Although it appears in the game to be in a position of inferiority, it is in actuality the ultimate Ancient. It created the equilibrium between the other three Ancients, ensuring that they would fight and destroy each other; and before being bound by Pious Augustus, it kept them imprisoned for eons. Although the color associated with its alignment is purple, many things related to it are tainted with black shadow. With the exception of Mantorok zombies, and possibly the purple worms, all of his other minions have either decayed away, or have been too weakened by the binding of Mantorok. Regardless, it seems that even as Mantorok dies, its power is unmeasurable by the other Ancients.

“How can you, a mere mortal, comprehend what that entity [speaking of Mantorok] represents, or what power it can wield? We know not. And we know more than thou...” -Xel'lotath to Pious Augustus

Mantorok's physical form is cumbersome and amorphous with many mouths and eyes surrounding one central mouth, (although many etchings in the temple where it is bound suggest that it once took a different form more similar to a giant elephant-like creature with tentacles) and Mantorok's Essence is within one of its many black hearts. The heart never stopped beating, even throughout the many centuries of the Corpse God being bound, during which time it has apparently lain dying. Mantorok is beyond the circle of aggression in which the others are locked, as the Keeper of the Ancients and the warden of their prison. At some point during the main antagonist Ancient's bid for power, Mantorok is bound by the Liche Pious Augustus with a very powerful nine-point binding spell. The binding consists of enchanted stakes (actually great stone pillars) that impale its flesh. The chaotic energies of the Mantorok alignment are able to corrode and overpower the magick of other alignments, but following its binding it is no longer able to power summoning spells. Spells cast using the Mantorok alignment are voiced in a whisper (as opposed to the bold invocations in the other alignments).

Because Mantorok's very being is both chaotic and ordered at the same time, it is the natural enemy of the other three Ancients, who strive to create chaos in the universe by destroying the others, and yet inadvertently keep balance through their warring. However, Mantorok's true power over Chattur'gha, Ulyaoth, and Xel'lotath rests in its ability to manipulate them to its own ends. By subtly influencing Pious, as well as the Roivas family and several others through the Tome of Eternal Darkness, and using the power of the Ruined City of Ehn'gha, Mantorok is able to help fuel the summoning and binding of each Ancient in turn, to defeat the Ancient it is dominant over; and to then connect the three alternate timelines so that all three Ancients are destroyed and only Mantorok remains. Looking carefully throughout the game it's possible to see small hints of Mantorok's influence. Mantorok has manipulated every single one of the playable characters to do its binding for it. The future is left unclear for Mantorok, now that he is free from his duty of being the warden, (a duty which required most of its power to hold the other three in line, again showing his great power), its not said what he plans now. It's also important not to take his "dying" or "dead" state too literally, as he's been dying for centuries but has yet to complete the act. Unless Mantorok can do something to restore himself, when he dies humanity will be free from the influence of the Ancients for the first time in its history. Nonetheless, Mantorok is a master of subtle and long-term manipulations and may be able to plot his way to freedom and full power.