Ethric
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Story[edit | hide | hide all]
Also called Ethric the Mad, described as both the world’s first lich and its first necromancer, and Sandro's former master, who trained him to be a warlock and objected to him becoming a necromancer. Decades later, Ethric alerted Gem to the fact that Sandro was constructing powerful necromantic artifacts. In an attempt to thwart Sandro, he sent word to Sandro's enemies of his location and the fact that he possessed powerful artifacts.
Afterwards, he became active on Enroth, based in the Tomb of Ethric the Mad, sometime before January 1st 1165 until he was slain by the protagonists of Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven during their journey. His skull was later brought to Gabriel Cartman, an alchemist in the city of Free Haven. By studying the first lich’s skull, Cartman hoped to discover a way to reverse the process of transformation into a lich.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era[edit | hide]
Ethric appears in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, which takes place hundreds of years before Heroes of Might and Magic III.
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"Once a brilliant but reclusive wizard of Bracada, Ethric delved too deeply into death magic - secrets no mortal was meant to wield. In his attempt to conceal his findings, he became the target of betrayal that nearly cost him his life. Ethric embraced undeath to survive and became a lich. Yet he still clings to the pretence of life, walking among mortals with cryptic purpose. In the shadowed corners of the world, whispers of his fate grow louder, and he is now known to some as Ethric the Mad." — Biography |
Appearances[edit | hide]
Ethric is also mentioned in Sandro's biography.
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Relations to other heroes[edit | hide]
Ethric the Mad[edit | hide]
Fans have debated whether Ethric of Bracada (Wizard/Warlock) and Ethric the Mad (Lich) were the same person or not. This was settled by Jennifer Bullard, a member of the Might and Magic team, who stated in an interview that yes, they were.
It can be surmised that Ethric has had an alter-ego of a mortal Bracadan wizard and warlock for a considerable time, the general public apparently being unaware that he is actually Ethric the Mad and not just his namesake. In a similar fashion, Sandro is shown to be using an illusion to disguise him being a lich when dealing with people like Gem and Crag Hack. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era would canonize this explanation in his biography. It is not made clear whether Jabarkas is Ethric's actual brother, or if this is part of the cover story. The latter is very likely, since lore implies that, as the first necromancer, Ethric should be centuries old.
There are references to Ethric having multiple character classes.
- Wizard/Lich: Sandro's biography says that Ethric taught him Necromancy and was originally a Wizard, then later became a Lich.
- Wizard: Driving for the Boots: Gem mentions needing to write to Ethric in Bracada.
- Warlock: Poison Fit for a King: Sandro refers to Ethric as a Warlock.
- Warlock: Master: He appears as a Warlock.
- Lich: Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor, and Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era all depict Ethric as a necromancer lich.
Trivia[edit | hide]
- Armor of the Damned and Cloak of the Undead King once belonged to Ethric, since Jeddite's stated goal in Target is to return them to him. This is an apparent hint at this Ethric actually being Ethric the Mad, as later directly confirmed by Jennifer Bullard. It is also possible, though not confirmed, that the two artifacts, reassembled by Sandro, were originally created by Ethric.
- A force of liches attacks Sandro in Master, further hinting at Ethric's true nature.
- Yet another hint comes from Poison Fit for a King, where Ethric is described as "mad" in Sandro's nightmare.
- The fact that Sandro's bio remains unchanged all throughout The Shadow of Death (whereas Gem and Yog have their bios changed in their initial campaigns), stating that he was a pupil of the lich Ethric, corroborates the above hints.