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Sethys's Backstory
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DISCLAIMER: Although the following information draws on lore and dialogue taken directly from the games, it is not in any way intended to reflect actual Ultima canon. The dates and story details presented here are canon only for this AU ("Alternate Universe") fanfiction series. Please read this as nothing more than a new take on an old and forgotten character, done just for the simple (if self-indulgent) joy of storytelling.
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Sethys Esshalshamesh was born in Ophidian Year (O.Y.) 3133, into a family of prominent Chaotic scholars and acolytes. At the time of his birth, the Serpent Isles was a realm of burgeoning technology. The recent development of long-distance mass communication via tapping into the ethereal waves (colloquially referred to as "the wireless", this also includes private/person-to-person devices called "taps") had proven most influential, while their subterranean cities now cultivated complex networks of pipes, harnessing lava-powered steam for powering various machines at work and home.
In childhood, Sethys lived with his parents in the Free City of Thiriastith (now called Furnace), located on the southern part of the isles. He had an older sister and a younger sister, both of whom eventually became invested acolytes of Chaos—Enthusiasm and Emotion, respectively. Likewise, his parents had hoped he would follow Tolerance, but Sethys's calling was for Harmony instead.
Historically Balance always had few acolytes, but their numbers began to drop dramatically after the mysterious disappearance of the Great Earth Serpent in O.Y. 3122. This year would herald the first cracks between the once relatively cordial societies of Order and Chaos, cracks that could only spread and deepen into irreconcilable chasms. By 3125, the two factions were officially at war, albeit one that rarely progressed beyond local skirmishes. During these early stages both sides were evenly matched and most clashes ended without a clear victor.
Nevertheless, at age 13 Sethys became a novitiate of Harmony, much to his parents' enduring chagrin. However, they did not outright express their desire for him to change his path until a few months later in O.Y. 3147, following the assassination of Great Hierophant Ssithnos. On that night, his murderers stormed the Office of the Hierophant in downtown Thiriastith, dressed in deep red robes and veils, on a mission to kill not only the Hierophant but anyone else who stood in their way. Sethys happened to be studying in the library that evening, but he managed to elude the invaders by hiding beneath a tabletop. Unfortunately he was not able to get a good look at any part of the assassins besides their shoes, which he recalled as being:
"Distinctive, for sure. They all had metal toe caps, steel or something. I mean, they were silvery, almost white in color. Maybe platinum? I don't know—it—it's not important. Or maybe it is. B-but the more important thing, I think, is they had a little design stamped into them on top. It looked like an eye, perhaps. Like an open eye. Is that helpful?"
Ssithnos died without naming a successor. To make matters worse, his previous Champion of Balance also recently died under similarly suspicious circumstances. The Hierophant of Order—Calithiss the Steadfast—immediately blamed Chaos for the deed. Other witnesses noticed the red robes worn by the assassins; as red was the traditional color of the Forces of Chaos, this detail gave the Chaos Hierophant—Isskevahash the Discordant—an awful lot to answer for. Public opinion rapidly soured towards the Chaosites, even within their own ranks.
Note: What they did not know was that the game had been rigged against Chaos from the start, and that there was another player on the field known only to Calithiss. Check out the Timeline for more information on this mysterious advantage…
In 3148, Sethys became fully invested as an acolyte of Harmony and left Thiriastith to live in its temple, located just southeast of the Skullcrusher mountains. He became estranged from his parents as they perceived his actions as the ultimate betrayal of their ideals. Unfortunately, Balance now counted itself as the most despised enemy of both Chaos and Order—pretty much the one thing left upon which the two factions could agree. While still fighting with each other, the multitasking Chaos and Order managed to spare some ire for Balance and ransacked the three lesser temples of Harmony, Dedication, and Rationality, with Harmony being the last to fall in 3152.
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Now 19, Sethys hesitates to follow his fellow acolytes to the last refuge left to them—the Hierophant's Necropolis at the Isle of Crypts. Rather, he chooses to stay on the isles and undergo his Plenary, the requisite pilgrimage to all holy temples. Unfortunately, by that time, followers of Balance were prohibited from entering the isles' Northlands, where most of the temples are actually located. His attempt to cross the border fails when he makes the mistake of trying to cross at Seriss, a small outpost staffed by some of Order's finest (or at least most eagle-eyed) soldiers; alas, the gate guard instantly recognizes his travelling visa as a forgery. After spending a cold and lonely night in the outpost's "drunk tank", Sethys is summoned into Captain Ardiniss's office for a stern talking-to. But just when he thinks he is about to be given the boot, he is then referred to the outpost's mage-inspector for further questioning.
She is Inspector Elissa Sshriyevak, Order Mage of the First Rank, and she recognizes Sethys's name from a list of witness accounts that she'd assembled several years prior. While (to her, anyway) it was a foregone conclusion that Chaos was responsible for the assassination of the Great Hierophant, she also suspects the involvement of a third party. Over the years, her focus has shifted towards the so-called Dark Monks, a strange cult that had been proliferating around the isles since the turn of the century.
Not every resident of the isles follows the Ophidian teachings; while discouraged, the formation of a new religious movement is nothing extraordinary or necessarily illegal. However, the Dark Monks are secretive—such that nobody even really knows what they call themselves. They do not recruit openly, nor do they proselytize. The only meaningful information anyone has about them at all is that they worship some entity called "the Guide", and although they are not normally violent folk, lately they've taken to performing inexplicable rituals around monuments of blackrock they have recently constructed about the isles.
Sethys cannot determine whether Elissa actually has tangible evidence that implicates this group in the Hierophant's assassination or if her suspicions arise from simple prejudice. However, in return for entrance into the Northlands, he agrees to "remain vigilant" for "evidence of rot" (whatever that means) and report any "potentially relevant irregularities" he might come across while travelling from temple to temple. Elissa escorts him across the border herself and leaves him with a personal wireless tap and her calling code, to be used if he should ever find aught of interest.
While in the Northlands, Sethys spends the next four years visiting each of the six temples dedicated to the virtues of Order and Chaos, and learning more about the unique challenges faced by each faction. He witnesses the consequences of nearly forty years of warring as he travels from temple to temple and town to town. As the Northlands are an especially volatile region, he too gets caught up in many local battles and often finds himself joining the fray directly as a field medic, aiding Chaosites and Orderites alike. Over time, he notices that the followers of Chaos are especially disorganized (even for Chaos) and antagonistic towards each other, as if Chaos itself is becoming fractured from within. To contrast, Order operates as a well-oiled machine, united in their singular rancor towards all who oppose them. Their conformity unparalleled, their obedience absolute. At first, Sethys chalks it up to a difference in philosophy engendering a clear advantage for one side, at least in the art of war. But as time goes on, something about the conflict begins to feel…
…well, just a little awry. Askew.
Amiss, even.
He doesn't start to piece together his puzzle until midsummer 3155, when he visits the Temple of Tolerance and meets an actual Dark Monk sheltering there, a man named Ajalsarthis. While unsociable at first, he gradually befriends Sethys and begins dropping crumbs of information about his religion and the deity he worships. One day, the man returns to the temple after a trip to the Chaotic capital of Essyamar (now Skullcrusher) and Sethys happens to notice—and remember—the distinctive metal-capped boots that he wore for the journey.
With that particular cat out of the bag, Sethys tries very gently bringing up the topic of Ssithnos's assassination—no accusations or condemnations, but a simple probe for any information at all. However, when he confides his role as a witness to the crime, Ajalsarthis reacts violently and bolts from the temple, taking off in the direction of the nearest village. Sethys tries to pursue, but he lags behind and eventually loses sight of him. At a loss, he continues his search in that village, thinking it might be the man's intended destination. While his instincts are spot on, his luck takes a turn for the worse when he wanders into a back alley and bumps right into Ajalsarthis.
And his Dark Monk friends.
Ajalsarthis introduces Sethys as "someone of unanticipated concern" and he does not mean it in a nice way, hinting towards his witnessing of a certain crime. As for Sethys, even a nitwit knows when he is outnumbered; he grimly wonders if they might be willing to let him off easy.
If by "easy" he means killing him later instead of now, then yes! The Dark Monks smuggle him into their refuge, which is squared away in the half-basement of a local Order-run tavern. They do not physically mistreat their hostage—they don't even restrain him, though they do make it clear that they have no intentions of letting him see the light of dawn again.
As Sethys is condemned to die anyway, the Dark Monks see no harm in humoring his curiosity. First and foremost: Yes, they did assassinate Ssithnos, but they did so under the command of the Order Hierophant, and she receives her orders from none other than the Guide.
The Guide? Sethys wonders. Not the Order Serpent?
Close your mouth! Open your eyes! The Guide favors Order in all things. The Guide has blessed Order with her voice. The Order Serpent listens.
But what of Chaos?
What of it? The Chaos Serpent rejected the blessing of the voice. Chaos shuns conformity. Chaos spurns obedience. Chaos scorns efficiency. Thus the Guide has no use for Chaos. Thus the universe has no use for Chaos. Thus we will rid the universe of Chaos. Do you see? Do you see how the Guide rewards those who please her, as surely as the Guide rewards those who fail her?
Sethys realizes something. Don't you know? If you eliminate Chaos from the world, the resulting Imbalance will…
But he talks to naught but the wind. Besides, do they even speak the truth? Any truth at all? Sethys can only judge for himself on the sole basis of their claims, and many of them strike him as outlandish. He might be willing to believe that the Order Hierophant colluded with the Dark Monks to assassinate Ssithnos, though—tales of mystery and imagination aside—he cannot fathom why she would do such a thing.
Over the course of the evening, he also learns that the Dark Monks have also been sowing discord among the upper echelons of Chaotic leadership, resulting in a complete inability to organize themselves effectively. Beyond that, his captors hint at decades of further meddling, at the Guide herself whispering into the ears of the mages and technicians of Order, giving them knowledge of powerful spells and sciences, of how to communicate with and influence the masses, of how to crystallize the human soul, of how to tear their greatest enemy asunder.
Before the Dark Monks can torment Sethys any further, a terrible ruckus erupts from the tavern upstairs—nay, a riot! With screaming and throwing furniture, glass breaking, and the intensifying smell of smoke. The panic spreads into the basement as the Dark Monks realize that the whole place is going up in flames. It becomes "every monk for himself" as the entire lot scrambles up the basement stairs to evacuate, leaving Sethys behind to fight for his own life. Eventually he manages to break and climb through a narrow window. He spends the rest of the night hidden beneath a nearby culvert.
The cold comfort of dawn prevails through the smoking aftermath of that surreal night. Any gladness that Sethys feels over his survival is quickly snuffed by the dreadful realization that he now has to report it all to Elissa.
After finding a suitably remote spot in the fields outside of the village, Sethys contacts her with the tap she'd given him years before. Over the wireless, he delivers the bad news: That it may have been Order who was behind the assassination all along, and that the Order Hierophant herself is possibly working with the Dark Monks and some deified entity called "the Guide", to some unknown end. In typical nitwit fashion, he flat out asks Elissa if she has ever heard of anything like that.
Naturally Elissa is incensed and lets him have it with both barrels, loudly lamenting her regret of ever trusting a "shiftless vagrant of the Golden Path". Rather than entertain such an offense, she demands to know who put him up to this attempt to frame Order for the misdeeds of Chaos, dismissing it as a fool-born act of retaliation against the sacking of Essyamar.
UH. The sacking of Essyamar…?! Sethys is obviously unaware of that development. He tells her so and begs her to start looking within her own ranks to find the "evidence of rot" she so desperately seeks. Before she can close the tap, he squeaks out his intention to take his concerns to the Chaos Hierophant himself.
Sethys returns to the temple of Tolerance dazed and drained, but finds the place in a minor uproar. Eszuth, the aged temple master, expresses mild relief upon seeing the lost acolyte. He informs Sethys that the Forces of Order commenced a surprise attack on Essyamar overnight and have already killed hundreds of people within, while displacing hundreds more. Moreover, news of the attack sparked riots in nearby villages, turning Chaosites against their Ordered neighbors. Although the two factions have been warring for two hands of years by now, this time Order's armies are being led by "hyper-intelligent automatons", invincible machines with the minds of men. It is the debut of the Lords of Discipline and a turning point in this stalemate of a war—alas, it turns towards Order's assured victory.
After Sethys relates his harrowing experience with the Dark Monks, Eszuth admits that the story sounds pretty nonsensical, especially coming from someone who is not a proper Chaosite and thus (probably) a little "touched in the ol' grey matter". He wonders if Sethys simply exhausted himself while pottering around all the meadows and spinneys around the temple and dreamed up the whole thing, especially as the lad cannot produce any evidence to the contrary.
Although Eszuth expresses such doubts, he still asks Sethys to follow him into the temple basement for a look at something of potential interest. What he shows him is the Web of Fate, a classic example of early Chaotic dweomercraft made especially for the Temple of Tolerance. Eszuth explains that it was used to commune with the myriad Powers of the Void, including the Great Serpents. However, in recent years these cosmos-spanning channels have stopped working.
He openly wonders why this might be the case, while Sethys notices that some of the web's gilded strands appear to be unraveling, even breaking free from its frame. Eszuth acknowledges this as well, though he does not answer any questions on whether this is a bad omen. Instead he urges Sethys to try and forget all about his ordeal, to get some rest and think about his future—namely to consider leaving the temple soon to go join his fellow acolytes on the Isle of Crypts.
But alas, the more Sethys thinks on the matter, the more he is bothered by his unfinished business—after all, he did pledge to himself (and Elissa) that he would at least try to warn the Chaos Hierophant about what he learned, nonsense or not. Later that day, he returns to Eszuth and asks how he might best go about doing this.
Eszuth tries his best to discourage the lad, but he does reveal that the Hierophant managed to avoid the trouble in Essyamar because he was visiting the Temple of Enthusiasm, though he will be leaving tonight for "parts unknown to all but him". Sethys doubts he will be able to catch up with the Hierophant there as Enthusiasm is too far away, practically across the entire isle. However, the opportunity to rid the temple of an unintentionally troublesome nitwit inspires Eszuth and he gladly offers to open the way to the Dark Path for him.
As they head towards the temple foyer, another bolt of inspiration stops Eszuth cold, causing the man to suddenly beg a boon of Sethys—to look after the key to the altar of Tolerance in secret, with the claim that he has "a fierce feeling in his bones" about the days to come. Shocked, Sethys asks Eszuth if he really trusts him that much, but Eszuth clarifies that this is not a matter of trust but survival. He argues that the key would be better off hidden in the pockets of "someone Order would never suspect", who also happens to be going far away from the temple. Sethys hesitates, but understands the temple master's reasoning and accepts the task, promising to return the key to the temple in better times.
While putting his boots back on, Sethys—perhaps also sensing that the worst of this has yet to pass—very surreptitiously secures the key around his ankle with a length of red yarn and hides it well under his stocking. Shortly thereafter he completely forgets about doing this, because on the way to the gate he gets the jolt of his life when he espies his good old friend Ajalsarthis, back at his menial temple chores as if nothing had transpired the night before. They lock eyes for a moment, but neither one says a word.
At last Eszuth bids Sethys farewell as the latter enters the Dark Path and travels to the Temple of Enthusiasm. Once there, he runs into his older sister Svenjaja, an acolyte and artist whom he missed on his last visit to the temple. They speak of the recent horror in Essyamar; Svenjaja informs him that their parents moved there a few years prior but they narrowly missed the massacre as they left town that morning for the Temple of Emotion. She is also very curious about his travels and grills him for a good story that she can jot down in her inspirational journal. Sethys is happy to summarize his plenary and how his experiences have been altogether enlightening but lonely. However, he keeps mum about anything pertaining to his actual reasons for visiting and continues searching for the Hierophant by himself.
He eventually comes across the room in which the man is staying, easily identifiable by the heavily armed guards loitering out front. Sethys begins to rethink the whole thing after the guards make it clear that nobody—especially not some wretched acolyte of a forsaken virtue—is getting to the Hierophant. Sethys is desperate enough to bring up the names of his parents as people they might recognize and trust. To his surprise, this seems to do the trick; Isskevahash himself calls from his chamber, ordering his guards to let Sethys into the room for a chat.
Sethys is greeted by a holy man mired in grief and fatigue, his unearthly green eyes wild and searching. However he speaks lucidly even as he neatly identifies Sethys Esshalshamesh by last and first name, as a "disciple of the Shining Path", a "practitioner of despised Balance" and the "harbinger of my doom". Isskevahash lurches towards him with outstretched hands, frightening Sethys quite a bit as he thinks the Hierophant intends to strike or strangle him.
None of those things happen, and you still have like 2000 words to go in this summary. Sorry! Rather, Isskevahash simply clutches the lad's shoulders and tells Sethys to not to look so terrified—a tall order, considering. Sethys apologizes for being a harbinger of doom, wondering if he actually already knows why he has come. Isskevahash answers in the affirmative, revealing that Sethys's former temple master was once a dear friend of his and an augur of incomparable power, such that she had divined these events years ago through communion with the Great Earth Serpent himself, shortly before his disappearance. Still, he praises Sethys's faith and tenacity in trying to get word of the Guide to him, even though they are philosophical enemies.
Isskevahash reveals that the Void has whispered of one Sethys Esshalshamesh since time out of mind, someone whose fortune has been woven into a complex cosmic tapestry that will ultimately herald the defeat of "a bigger fish" and the salvation of the universe.
He must also grimly inform Sethys that his arrival also heralds the imminent death of the Chaos Hierophant.
Sethys cannot believe his ears; his exasperated reaction suggests that he does not fully appreciate the implication that he is but a pawn of prophecy, or worse, a gaudy bit of fringe dangling off the corner of the Great Earth Serpent's parlor rug. Though as embarrassing as all that may sound, he's far more rattled by the Hierophant's apparent surrender to a destiny envisioned by minds that are not his own. He begs the man to reconsider his stance on free will (or lack thereof), if only for the sake of his people, the devotees of Chaos who need him now more than ever.
Isskevahash tells him to save his breath; although he has accepted his foretold defeat as inescapable, he remains amply prepared to fight for whatever time he has left. And fight he shall, for the Forces of Order are already marching towards the Chaos temples, led by the indomitable Lords of Discipline. It is too late to try to stop them and now it may even be too late for Sethys to flee to the Isle of Crypts. He gives Sethys the choice to stay and fight by his side, or if he prefers, to go to another Chaos temple via the Dark Path. Although Sethys knows it won't make much difference in the end, he asks to visit the temple of Emotion so he can at least try to see his parents and younger sister.
He gives Sethys his Serpent's Tooth to the Temple of Emotion, but this procession of cracked-up holy men distributing key items isn't quite over yet; Isskevahash has one more McGuffin he must see safely into Sethys's possession. Seemingly out of thin air, he produces a blue moonstone orb in his palm. He then presses his thumb to Sethys's forehead for several seconds and orders the lad to "take the orb and hide it as I did". When Sethys tries this, he finds he too is able to produce and reproduce the orb in his hand at will, using the same kind of legerdemain without any conscious knowledge as to how or why or what the orb even is.
He begins to ask, but Isskevahash silences him immediately. The existence of this orb must be kept a secret, even from himself, from a consciousness too easily probed by those who would seek to abuse its power.
But what is it? Sethys wonders.
You'll know what it is, when the time is right, says the Hierophant. You'll know when it happens.
You can't just tell somebody that and expect them to go on with a normal life, Sethys expostulates.
I'm afraid your life was never going to be normal, Sethys. Normal people don't use the word "expostulate" as a dialogue tag.
With that cheerful little earful, the Chaos Hierophant sees Sethys to the Serpent Gate and bids him farewell. Sethys is beginning to feel like he is stuck in a locked groove on an orchestrion disk, and not on a particularly nice song either. Although his stupefaction of mind has seemingly extended all the way into his toes, he does as Isskevahash requests and travels to the Temple of Emotion via the Dark Path.
When he arrives, he finds the place a bit unsettled. Emotion is the closest temple to Essyamar and it is crowded with refugees from the city. After quite a bit of poking around, Sethys eventually locates his parents and his younger sister Shriash. The latter is happy to see him again, but sadly the same cannot be said about the former. Even after eight years, they still strongly disapprove of their son's "boneheaded" decision to walk in Balance instead Chaos. Likewise, Sethys still maintains that even after losing his temple (and just about everything else to his name), he has no regrets.
Though what transpires next would certainly put that attitude to the test: Just as the Chaos Hierophant portended, the Temple of Emotion is invaded overnight by the Forces of Order. This time the battle is led by the Master of Ethicality, whose powerful sorcery all but demolishes the sacred structure of temple itself. He is accompanied by a fearsome company of elite human and automaton soldiers led by Isstanar, a newly minted Lord of Discipline who orders the live capture of all remaining acolytes, including Sethys. His parents are slain during the attack, while the fate of his sister will remain unknown for several millennia…
Sethys, along with the other prisoners, is bound and blindfolded and packed into a caravan. Destination unknown, but only by virtue of the blindfold. In fact, the caravan is headed to a place Sethys knows quite well. It is the place where this all started: That rinky-dink Order outpost at Seriss, now a massively expanded subterranean stronghold called Serpent's Fang. Like the other prisoners, he is booked and searched upon arrival, stripped of his bindings and blindfold (and alas, his overcoat) and marched into a cramped cell in the stronghold's gaol.
At least he is not alone; his cellmates are all acolytes whom he met on his plenary, though nobody has any idea why they are being detained or what is to become of them. However, the outlook is grave; all of them believe that regardless of whatever trial Order has planned for them, they are not destined to survive it. There is nothing left to do but wait, while the stronghold guards start taking prisoners away one by one, down a dark corridor, never to return.
As the cell has no windows, it is impossible to determine the precise passage of time that passes before Sethys sees another familiar face, this time on the other side of the bars. It's Elissa, conducting a routine inspection of the premises with her cohort and senior file leader Tsandar. Sethys calls to her and she reacts with incredulity that proves contagious—after introducing him to Tsandar, he returns several questions of his own. What's a Balance acolyte still doing on the Isles? How did he get mixed in with the Chaos prisoners? How did he even get across the border in the first place? Inspector?
Sethys tries to explain but Tsandar concedes that the particulars of the story don't really matter, for a follower of Balance is still an enemy of Order. Elissa shares her partner's sentiment, but questions whether Sethys should still be subject to the same "questioning" as the other prisoners; she doubts that he will have any useful information regarding access to the altars of Chaos (meaning, how one might destroy them if they so wished).
Ah, Sethys realizes. So that's what they want. Now remembering the key entrusted to him, he subtly slips his hands into his skirt pockets. A cold wave of dread washes over him as he feels the emptiness of one pocket, and the substantial hole at the bottom of the other.
Serpent's garters! That key could be anywhere…!!
Note: Unlike the protagonist, you probably haven't forgotten that he actually tied the blasted thing around his foot.
Then again, considering what Order intends to do with the key, perhaps its loss isn't necessarily a bad thing…
Meanwhile, Tsandar informs his colleague that the decision will ultimately be up to Ardiniss, the garrison commander; it's not likely, but nevertheless possible that he will simply deem the lad a waste of time and ship him back to the Isle of Crypts. Before they mosey away, Sethys asks Elissa how her own "personal investigation" is faring, and if she has found anything else of interest. She responds with naught but a dirty look.
Over time, his cellmates continue to diminish in number, each one dragged away without warning or answer. The gaol corridors become still and quiet, to the point where Sethys suspects there are very few prisoners—if any—remaining in the entire fort. He soon has nobody to talk to and little to do besides pace around an emptied cell, at least until the day the guards at last come for him. He is led down that dark hallway and into a small interrogation chamber where he is sat down before Commander Ardiniss himself. As the man is flanked by Elissa and Tsandar, along with several steel-clad automatons, escape will not be a possibility this time.
Sethys Esshalshamesh… Oh no, not you again, groans Ardiniss, shaking his head in pure patriarchal disapproval. Beyond that, he gets right down to business and flat out informs Sethys that they already know he holds some knowledge as to the whereabouts of the key to the altar of Tolerance. Before Sethys can even begin to contest the charges, Ardiniss says the information came from the Order Hierophant herself, whose word is considered legally indisputable under Ordered law. In light of this, Elissa urges Sethys to come clean and tell them where it is; should he cooperate, they would be more than willing to send him to the Isle of Crypts with life and limb intact.
And if not, well…
But Sethys cannot lie. When asked where the key is, all he can bring himself to say is "I don't know"—the sad truth. This infuriates his interrogators, who begin leveling all sorts of threats and slurs in his direction. They tell him that Eszuth is dead, along with all of the other acolytes of Tolerance. The temple is as good as defunct and there is no use in keeping its altar protected. They also note that that several days ago he was witnessed accepting something from Eszuth before leaving the temple through the Serpent Gate, and that this same witness overheard them speaking of the key shortly before that.
But I swear I don't know where it is! Sethys pleads. That key could be anywhere!
…true or not, it's really not the most convincing defense, is it?
Tsandar asks what they are to do with him if he so refuses to speak—shall he be extracted like the others?
Not this time. Ardiniss coldly reports that the Hierophant herself prescribed a different mode of punishment for this one, something novel and untested: He shall be remanded in temporal stasis and consigned to the Flames of Ethicality until he feels more willing to talk…
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…and so in a rather generously worded nutshell, that's how Sethys Esshalshamesh became "That Guy trapped in the ring of fire in the Test of Ethicality". After being delivered to the Temple of Ethicality, Elissa handled the "temporal stasis" portion of his punishment, casting him into a time prism (with the lost ninth circle spell An Tym Ex) which insured he would remain sufficiently deathless for as long as necessary. Then, he would wile away his indefinite sentence within a spectral prison in the Void (similar to what the Guardian did to the Time Lord in Black Gate), only to be summoned back to reality and tormented in flames every time some would-be acolyte of Ethicality came along to test their bravery.
- Note: Even after destroying the time prism itself, the effects of An Tym Ex are in fact irreversible for its target, though the Ophidians had yet to discover this. The spell was deemed Illegal Canon by the Unified Council of Time Lords, who have since made many (unsuccessful) attempts to erase it from all existence. They have determined that its usage is "cruel, or at least highly unusual punishment", and can also confer a destabilizing effect on the fabric of time and space as anyone or anything falling victim to it may no longer be considered truly alive, but not truly dead either—just, something else.
They become something else. A temporal anomaly. A malfunction of entropy. A glitch in the calculus of quantum states. Sethys was never very good at math so he tries not to think about this too much.
In any case, Sethys's punishment did not happen exactly the way Calithiss had envisaged, for shortly after they placed him in his time prism, the War Forces of Chaos stormed the temple of Ethicality and wrecked the place as retribution for what Order had done to them. There would be no more attempts at the test of Ethicality for another 8,759 years, when a certain Avatar came along and rediscovered the temple—and the test—on her search for the legendary Ophidian fountains…
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