The Tomb of the Sun's Eclipse was an imposing pyramid of monumental proportions, erected during the early days of the Serrakhan Sultanate under the auspices of the Holy Order of the Sun. Conceived as an "offering" of ultimate worship and servitude to the self-proclaimed Sun God, Malekith, its golden-capped apex once gleamed brightly under the relentless sun of the southern dune sea. However, behind its resplendent facade lay a dark and sacrilegious purpose—one of necromantic rituals and grotesque manipulation of life and death.
Origins and Purpose
The pyramid was commissioned by High Priest Ishmael, the immortal Mythar necromancer formerly known as Vorath Blood-Rune, and constructed using the forced labor of countless Kroot slaves. Officially, it was declared a monument of worship to Malekith, symbolizing the Sultanate's unwavering devotion to their Sun God. In reality, it was a site of unspeakable horror where Ishmael and his most loyal followers conducted forbidden rituals to fulfill the Prophecy of the Sun's Eclipse.
The prophecy foretold a cataclysmic event wherein the split souls of Malekith and Valekith would reunite as a single Revenant Titan, plunging the sun into darkness and eclipsing all life. To hasten this apocalyptic vision, the tomb became the epicenter of Ishmael's cult. Within its shadowed halls, living Sharizian nobles were embalmed alive, cursed to join Ishmael's undead retinue in eternal servitude.
Curse of the Sphynx
One of the tomb's darkest legacies is its connection to the cursed lineage of the Sphynx, once noble and proud creatures revered for their wisdom and strength. Ishmael, under Malekith's orders, bound the Sphynx to serve as eternal puppet rulers of the Serrakhan Sultanate. When one Sphynx's usefulness expired, they were imprisoned within the tomb's depths, and the next in line was prepared to continue the charade. This unholy cycle of imprisonment and manipulation continued for centuries, ensuring the Sultanate's rulers remained under Malekith's thrall.
The Tarnished Tomb
The Sunsations, a legendary adventuring group, uncovered the truth behind the tomb and its dark history. In a climactic confrontation, they faced Ishmael within the tomb's cursed halls, where he sought to perform the final rites to fulfill the Prophecy of the Sun's Eclipse. Despite his formidable necromantic powers and the protection of the tomb's ancient wards, Ishmael was defeated. His heart phylactery, hidden within a golden sarcophagus, was destroyed, severing his immortality and ending his reign of terror.
As Ishmael fell, the tomb began to collapse, its arcane foundation unraveling under the strain of its broken magic. The once-grand pyramid crumbled into ruins, its golden cap sinking beneath the shifting sands of the southern dune sea. The curse binding the Sphynx was lifted, and the dark rituals that had sustained the cult of Malekith were brought to an end (see: Shadow of the Sun's Eclipse).
Legacy
The ruins of the Tomb of the Sun's Eclipse now lie buried beneath the dunes, a grim reminder of the Serrakhan Sultanate's dark past and the extent of Malekith's deceit. Nomadic tribes and desert travelers tell stories of the tomb's haunted sands, warning of lingering curses and restless spirits that roam its forgotten halls.
For the people of the Sultanate, the destruction of the tomb marked a turning point. Under the leadership of Talyen Dawnstrider, the true Avatar of the Sun, efforts to rebuild and purify the Sultanate began in earnest. The fall of the tomb became a symbol of hope—a testament to the resilience of the Serrakhan people and their determination to move beyond the shadow of Malekith's tyranny.