Well, if you chat with ALL the NPC's in the game, you'll find out that...
!!!MAJOR SPOILER!!!
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Cet U'de D'ua Khan started out as a mortal pharaoh with some immortal longings, especially since he was pure evil. Through a dark ritual, he mated (or merged) with the God of Pure Evil, and became Incarnate Evil. He then tried to destroy the world, for the only way he can thrive is by feeding on the pain and suffering of others. (I assume he was going to be slow about it, for what would he have done after he had destroyed the world? Immortality is a long, long time...)
That's when Kerah and Anephas stepped in. Apparently, Kerah has always been a Celestial Being; Anephas was a mortal hero to whom Kerah granted Immortality so he could defeat Cet. (Apparently, Kerah and Erathsmedor also have connections with King Arthur as well...I wondered, after the fact, if the "Tomb of Arthos" in the Crypt referred to that..) Later, the only way Anephas could defeat Cet is by swallowing the Black Fire and spewing it down Cet's throat (yuck). They both were destroyed by the fire, but, being immortal, fell into the long sleep of the dead. (I thought the Fire could kill immortals, though...) Knowing what was going to happen, before he undertook the "Great Sacrifice," Anephas told Kerah that after they were dead, to take the 3 tablets from Cet's tomb to lock him in there forever and hide them in Collasium, and then plunge the city to the bottom of the sea. (Indicative that even the "good" gods are capable of acts of extreme cruelty and destruction...)
Then, about a century before the gametime, the lich G'Ezzered Ra, trying to take revenge on Cet for Cet having transformed him into a lich, made his way into Anephas' tomb, and, in trying to resurrect his corpse so he could find out where the 3 tablets were, accidentally destroyed it with a "flubbed" spell. The spell had the unfortunate dual effect of "waking up" Cet in the meantime. G'Ezzered Ra fled the Shrine, sealing it behind him, and has ensconced himself in his home in Skull Castle ever since.
And, of course, that's where the game world is now...Cet is awake, Anephas is a pile of Ash, Kerah's going berserk trying to find a new challenger to destroy Cet before he becomes too powerful, Cet is biding his time until he can find a new mortal form to inhabit because he can't do anything as an undead pharaoh, G'Ezzered Ra sits in his pad playing old albums on the stereo and moaning about what Cet did to him...
and it's up to you to resolve the whole mess.
At least, that's what I gleaned from the NPC talk. There's not much else one can go by. (To get the story, talk to F'Lokis Ra, the Oracles, Kol, Shinwiki (yes, he knows some stuff!), Scabban, the Kerah Statue in the Serpent Temple, Erathsmedor, Oakenmir, G'Ezzered Ra, Kerah herself (in the Temple of Isis), and Anephas in the Shrine. Follow up with EVERY keyword...and try using "Mind Leech" if you think there's something you missed.)
Oh, for fun...ask Mekdawa about "Cet". Watch what he says. I was rolling!
-Sazerac
[This message has been edited by Sazerac (edited 03-17-2001).]