The Undead of Arkain

[The_Messenger]

This will be the final thread related to the last race of Shar Dundred's Arkain Series. We will discuss, share and debate our theories related to the Undead in a healthy environment.

Let's begin.

The Undead are possibly the oldest race to exist on Arkain. They are ruled by the last divine being named Aridon who keeps a watchful eye on Arkain and the races that populate the world in an attempt to preserve "the Ballance". These creations are tireless, devoid of emotion and personal ambitions (such as gaining wealth or status) and above all they are utterly loyal to Aridon and his will, making them the ideal servants for the will of a divine being.
Unlike Warcraft's Undead Scourge that was set on spreading pestilence and death under the orders of Ner'zul; the Undead of Arkain are more similar to the ones from Heroes of Might and Magic series who serve the Aspect of Death Asha to preserve the cycle and ballance in the world.

1) What are the origins of the Undead?
It is difficult to exactly pinpoint the origins of the Undead. In my personal opinion Aridon might as well be the first Undead ever to rise, despite his divine origin.
The oldest civilization were the Arkanians that went extinct a long time ago. It's highly possible that the Arkanians were the first to be turned into the Undead. Since then various others have been added to its ranks till they continued to swell into the force that is known today.

2) How strong are the Undead?
It's safe to say that the Undead are the strongest race on Arkain. They are relentless, tireless, know no fear and cannot be dominated, reasoned with or controled by anyone else. They are the result of Aridon's creative mind (possibly his curiosity and personal hobby), thus the Undead are 'perfect' creations (despite their grotesque aspect) having all unnecessary things removed leaving behind only what is useful, rearranged to fit Aridon's 'artistic' vision.
Unlike the other races of Arkain, the Undead do not need technology or weapons designed through engeneering to gain an advantage in combat or further sharpen their edges. There are constructs in the Undead army, but are incomparible with what the other races have simply because of their nature, design and abilities.

3) Is being an Undead an honor, or a curse?
It is known that Aridon sometimes chooses certain people to serve in undeath as extensions of his will, each having their own roles to fulfill and orders to carry out. In some very rare cases (like Rahandir's, though he possesed an impressive magical talent) some cross the threshold of death and return without Aridon's intervention.
But is being an Undead an honor? You live beyond death and are free of all wordly needs and desires that are now meaningless and worthless. You serve the will of the last divine being on Arkain who'se will serves the greater good of all. But is your will your own, or is it Aridon who puppets your actions and desires?
Even though you retain your behaviour and character when you were alive (as it can be seen in each Undead character), is there a guarantee that you are in fact serving Aridon willingly or you are part puppet just because of your skill and potential?

4) Is Aridon in truth sentimental and remorseful?
Even though Aridon has lost most of his divinity during the war untill nothing but a portion remained, he still desired to continue on his divine duty and oversee Arkain and the other races. He took cold and calculated actions from precise assassinations (like cutting out an infection) to small schale genocides (like amputating a broken limb) in order to preserve the Ballance. Could the Ballance be an excuse Aridon hides behind even in part? He is the last divine being alive and surely in order for the Ballance to be maintained required the cooperation of the other divine beings that are no more. It would be his right to reshape the world as he sees fit and recreate the Ballance to suit his vision. Instead he decided to continue on and even look after the other races. Could Aridon be remorseful of what he had to do (despite him being Undead) and in fact looks after the other races because they are all that remain of his former kin out of sentiment?

5) Were Ardion and the others mortals?
Although not much is said about the Arkanians could it be possible that Aridon and the others originated from a civilization before the Arkanians? Born mortals who reached unimaginable heights of power, ascending to divinity and reshaped Arkain as they willed. With time they had a falling out because some were unable to detach themselves from their mortal needs (possibly like Aridon did) which resulted in the war?
We might never know untill Aridon talks about it or the Second Undead Book.

 

[Boriss]

Aridon is actually not Arkainian, he is remnant of the original creator gods of Arkain.
The God of death, one of three surviving. The other two being the god of demons (or at least a fragment of him survives, he himself was destroyed I think) and that shadow entity controlling the Emperor across the sea.

 

[Championfighter25]

In my personal opinion Aridon might as well be the first Undead ever to rise, despite his divine origin.

Aridon has never been an undead. He is the avatar of death, which is something you can connect to being undead, but not quite.

It's highly possible that the Arkanians were the first to be turned into the Undead.

Krom was one of the first to be raised to serve him, and he was an Arkainian, so this is highly possible.

How strong are the Undead?

If they raise every since corpse they've kept in the dead mountains they will outnumber every race combined. Not only their armies but maybe the civilian population too. Wouldn't be recommendable since it would drain him and his servant from a lot of power.

Is being an Undead an honor, or a curse?

On one point you defend Arkain from every enemy. On the other, you kill people against your will just because it's part of your master's plan. I'd say 50/50 since the undead have saved the mortal race's a lot of times.

Is Aridon in truth sentimental and remorseful?

He hasn't shown any remorse for whatever he does and everything he does, will do or order someone to do he will consider being part of his plan to fix the other race's flaws. So he isn't remorseful in the slightest.

Were Ardion and the others mortals?

All of his servants were mortals.
As for how Aridon was exactly created read ''Birth of a World'':
Tales of Arkain
When the name ''avatar of death'' pops out, know, that even though it isn't directly mentioned that's Aridon.
Also, you'll find that the undead weren't his first creation...

 

[Boriss]

Yeah but bodies decay and some decay fast. You can´t keep a body walking forever. And it is questionable how much power it takes to raise a spirit legionnaire.

 

[LISBOAH]

The Undead are possibly the oldest race to exist on Arkain.

That is not possible. Undeads are raised from corpses, and these corpses belong to deceased living creatures. This is not like 'who came first, the chicken or the egg?'

There were gods and from the gods came the Four: the Dark One, the Shadowed One, the Demon God and the Avatar of Death (Aridon).

These creations are tireless, devoid of emotion and personal ambitions (such as gaining wealth or status) and above all they are utterly loyal to Aridon and his will, making them the ideal servants for the will of a divine being.

Actually they have emotions and goals, but Aridon's control makes sure that they stay united and don't ruin the cause.

Unlike Warcraft's Undead Scourge that was set on spreading pestilence and death under the orders of Ner'zul; the Undead of Arkain are more similar to the ones from Heroes of Might and Magic series who serve the Aspect of Death Asha to preserve the cycle and ballance in the world.

Or like the Tomb Kings from the Warhammer series.

3) Is being an Undead an honor, or a curse?
It is known that Aridon sometimes chooses certain people to serve in undeath as extensions of his will, each having their own roles to fulfill and orders to carry out. In some very rare cases (like Rahandir's, though he possesed an impressive magical talent) some cross the threshold of death and return without Aridon's intervention.
But is being an Undead an honor? You live beyond death and are free of all wordly needs and desires that are now meaningless and worthless. You serve the will of the last divine being on Arkain who'se will serves the greater good of all. But is your will your own, or is it Aridon who puppets your actions and desires?
Even though you retain your behaviour and character when you were alive (as it can be seen in each Undead character), is there a guarantee that you are in fact serving Aridon willingly or you are part puppet just because of your skill and potential?

It is all a matter of who you ask. Rahandir, Krom and Aridon's most loyal followers most likely see it as an honor, Sapphira and others might not like it mostly but grew used to it...

4) Is Aridon in truth sentimental and remorseful?
Even though Aridon has lost most of his divinity during the war untill nothing but a portion remained, he still desired to continue on his divine duty and oversee Arkain and the other races. He took cold and calculated actions from precise assassinations (like cutting out an infection) to small schale genocides (like amputating a broken limb) in order to preserve the Ballance. Could the Ballance be an excuse Aridon hides behind even in part? He is the last divine being alive and surely in order for the Ballance to be maintained required the cooperation of the other divine beings that are no more. It would be his right to reshape the world as he sees fit and recreate the Ballance to suit his vision. Instead he decided to continue on and even look after the other races. Could Aridon be remorseful of what he had to do (despite him being Undead) and in fact looks after the other races because they are all that remain of his former kin out of sentiment?

Since Aridon is a one of a kind as there are no others like him, his mentality, morality and ethics are very probably different from others. In the eyes of a mortal, Aridon might be seen as a sociopath as he follows his own code; doesn't feel remorse or shame for his actions as he deems them necessary; has manipulated both events and people for millenia; will not mind sacrificing others by the thousands to keep balance; sees himself as something superior to others around (in this case with good reason)...

 

[Drake]

Who is this Ballance dude?

 

[Hinata28]

This will be the final thread related to the last race of Shar Dundred's Arkain Series. We will discuss, share and debate our theories related to the Undead in a healthy environment.

Let's begin.

The Undead are possibly the oldest race to exist on Arkain. They are ruled by the last divine being named Aridon who keeps a watchful eye on Arkain and the races that populate the world in an attempt to preserve "the Ballance". These creations are tireless, devoid of emotion and personal ambitions (such as gaining wealth or status) and above all they are utterly loyal to Aridon and his will, making them the ideal servants for the will of a divine being.
Unlike Warcraft's Undead Scourge that was set on spreading pestilence and death under the orders of Ner'zul; the Undead of Arkain are more similar to the ones from Heroes of Might and Magic series who serve the Aspect of Death Asha to preserve the cycle and ballance in the world.

1) What are the origins of the Undead?
It is difficult to exactly pinpoint the origins of the Undead. In my personal opinion Aridon might as well be the first Undead ever to rise, despite his divine origin.
The oldest civilization were the Arkanians that went extinct a long time ago. It's highly possible that the Arkanians were the first to be turned into the Undead. Since then various others have been added to its ranks till they continued to swell into the force that is known today.

2) How strong are the Undead?
It's safe to say that the Undead are the strongest race on Arkain. They are relentless, tireless, know no fear and cannot be dominated, reasoned with or controled by anyone else. They are the result of Aridon's creative mind (possibly his curiosity and personal hobby), thus the Undead are 'perfect' creations (despite their grotesque aspect) having all unnecessary things removed leaving behind only what is useful, rearranged to fit Aridon's 'artistic' vision.
Unlike the other races of Arkain, the Undead do not need technology or weapons designed through engeneering to gain an advantage in combat or further sharpen their edges. There are constructs in the Undead army, but are incomparible with what the other races have simply because of their nature, design and abilities.

3) Is being an Undead an honor, or a curse?
It is known that Aridon sometimes chooses certain people to serve in undeath as extensions of his will, each having their own roles to fulfill and orders to carry out. In some very rare cases (like Rahandir's, though he possesed an impressive magical talent) some cross the threshold of death and return without Aridon's intervention.
But is being an Undead an honor? You live beyond death and are free of all wordly needs and desires that are now meaningless and worthless. You serve the will of the last divine being on Arkain who'se will serves the greater good of all. But is your will your own, or is it Aridon who puppets your actions and desires?
Even though you retain your behaviour and character when you were alive (as it can be seen in each Undead character), is there a guarantee that you are in fact serving Aridon willingly or you are part puppet just because of your skill and potential?

4) Is Aridon in truth sentimental and remorseful?
Even though Aridon has lost most of his divinity during the war untill nothing but a portion remained, he still desired to continue on his divine duty and oversee Arkain and the other races. He took cold and calculated actions from precise assassinations (like cutting out an infection) to small schale genocides (like amputating a broken limb) in order to preserve the Ballance. Could the Ballance be an excuse Aridon hides behind even in part? He is the last divine being alive and surely in order for the Ballance to be maintained required the cooperation of the other divine beings that are no more. It would be his right to reshape the world as he sees fit and recreate the Ballance to suit his vision. Instead he decided to continue on and even look after the other races. Could Aridon be remorseful of what he had to do (despite him being Undead) and in fact looks after the other races because they are all that remain of his former kin out of sentiment?

5) Were Ardion and the others mortals?
Although not much is said about the Arkanians could it be possible that Aridon and the others originated from a civilization before the Arkanians? Born mortals who reached unimaginable heights of power, ascending to divinity and reshaped Arkain as they willed. With time they had a falling out because some were unable to detach themselves from their mortal needs (possibly like Aridon did) which resulted in the war?
We might never know untill Aridon talks about it or the Second Undead Book.

1) The Undead was formed when the Avatar of Death was still in his full power. He created the first Undead from an extinct race named Arkanians and also another extinct race named Rasi. Over the course of time, he reanimated countless dead heroes and warriors, common fighters to strong mages.

2) They were strong and can become numerous, even they can outnumber the mortals many times order. With excellent skillful officers and strong corpses, the mortals had a hard time fighting them.

3) Being Undead gives a non-zealous mortals another chance to start over their undeath lives in a clean slate. Zealots sees being Undead a great honor for them.

4) Aridon feels nothing like emotions and regrets. Balance is priority and first in line. He has no regrets, even fighting his own brothers felt nothing to him. He started the infighting between the 4 Fallen Gods after exterminating the many gods they hated so much. His only concern was that he worried about some of his visions were still not as accurate as he wants, that's the only emotion he has shown.

5) Being a Fallen God, he was immortal. He can be "killed", but can return to get you. He was like his brothers, no matter how depowered they became, they still retain some of their powers, as evidenced on Bhaarizel/Lord Brian and Tregakh/Largoth. The Demon God actually was torn to pieces, and his Demon creations trying to collect the pieces, but he may have a mortal vessel somewhere.

 

[Hinata28]

Aridon is actually not Arkainian, he is remnant of the original creator gods of Arkain.
The God of death, one of three surviving. The other two being the god of demons (or at least a fragment of him survives, he himself was destroyed I think) and that shadow entity controlling the Emperor across the sea.

He is one of the Fallen Gods.
All I know about Arkanians in Undead were the Bonelords, Krom the Immortal and among others we will know soon enough.

 

[Ebanu8]

If I have anything to say about Aridon, I'd say he no longer has a clear picture about what he truly wants for Balance, and merely does his things out of habit.