Eparch

Eparch

Race

Demon

Level

80

Rank

Legendary

Location

Lonely Tower Fractal
(Fractals of the Mists)

Organization

Kryptis

“

Eparch is not comparable to Tyrian leaders. He does not simply drain them of wealth. Or land. He has taken to...eating them. Our blood is his blood, and eventually we will all be dissolved.

— Peitha in Treachery

Eparch, the Midnight King, is the tyrannical demon ruler of Nayos, the Realm of Dreams, and overlord of the Kryptis. Information collected by the Astral Ward suggests that he and his mate, Queen Labris, are the uncle and aunt of Cerus, Deimos, and Peitha. He has organized his people into a hierarchical society of lesser and higher Kryptis with many noble houses that swear allegiance to him. Eparch has a centuries-spanning rivalry with Isgarren after the latter denied him a seat in the Wizard's Court council due to Eparch's selfish aims. The Midnight King cares little for his subjects as all he is interested in is increasing his power and knowledge which he accomplishes by sending his army to corrupt and consume other realms and their inhabitants. Eparch is not averse to making his subjects fight among themselves or consuming them as well.

Biography

Early years

Eparch was one of the demons who evolved and learned over time. At some point, he became aware of the Seer wizard Isgarren and wanted to join the ranks of the Wizard's Court on Tyria, even living in the Wizard's Tower for a time where he interacted with Isgarren and the mursaat wizard Mabon. The latter remained unaware that Eparch was actually a demon. However, Isgarren ultimately denied Eparch entry to the court's ranks and banished him back to Nayos because he found Eparch to be ignorant and hungry after Eparch had reduced a Tyrian village into innards and scraps of meat for unknown reasons. In a talk with Mabon where he explained what had led to Eparch's sudden banishment, Isgarren admitted that he did not know what Eparch had actually been after on Tyria, only that the demon had not been pleased when he had been forced out. Eparch's banishment from Tyria led to an intense rivalry and eventual war between him and Isgarren as he swore to bring Isgarren and Amnytas down and claim the wizards' secrets and power for himself.

Most demons tended to be solitary creatures if not led by a progenitor, but Eparch saw potential in them uniting under a leader who could then use their amassed strength for grander goals. He named himself Midnight King and built a demon society in Nayos, the Realm of Dreams, in his own image, creating a kingdom of fear and anger. Eparch made Labris his queen and organized the Kryptis demons into a hierarchical society of lesser and higher Kryptis and gave them titles and noble houses while making them swear allegiance to him. Information collected by the Astral Ward later revealed that he and Queen Labris were the uncle and aunt of Cerus, Deimos, and Peitha. Out of all the Kryptis, the one demon that Eparch seemed to genuinely care for was his mate, Queen Labris.

The Midnight King gave the Kryptis orders to invade other realms in the Mists and consume and corrupt their landscape and inhabitants to add these victims' power into their own, while he would feed on his subjects in turn and scheme for ways to send his forces en masse to invade Amnytas and Tyria. Some Kryptis chose not to align with Eparch's society, however, and remained as independent, ravenous wanderers as seen with the oni, or as peaceful and frightened wanderers roaming in Nayos. Although most Kryptis were intimidated by their powerful king to the point of fighting to their last breath rather than anger him, a select few had the courage to speak against his tyranny. Febe, one of the respected lords of the Kryptis, spoke about autonomy and defied Eparch openly but was slain by Deimos in the Temple of Febe with Deimos's brother Cerus and Eparch in audience. Eparch was said to have smiled upon watching Febe's fall.

Under Eparch's orders, the Kryptis attempted to invade Tyria at least as early as 635 BE if not even before that, and would continue to do so for centuries to come despite being pushed back by the Wizard's Court and, eventually, the Astral Ward over and over again.

Lonely Tower Fractal

Eparch confronts Isgarren during the assault on the Wizard's Tower.

One of the Kryptis' boldest invasion attempts took place sometime after the Astral Ward's founding in 604 AE as they targeted the Wizard's Tower with Eparch himself leading the push into the tower alongside Cerus. The assault led to Isgarren and Eparch's second confrontation; Isgarren and his allies were able to force the Midnight King and the Kryptis back into Nayos despite the tower sustaining heavy damage in the ensuing clash.

Interim years

When Deimos was stuck in the wards of the Bastion of the Penitent and slain by the Pact Commander and raiders many years later in 1330 AE, Eparch was merely content to watch and did nothing to help his champion, which Deimos's and Cerus's sister Peitha would remember as another form of the Midnight King's indifference towards his subjects.

Secrets of the Obscure

Act III

Following the Pact Commander and Peitha's victory over Cerus and the liberation of Isgarren from the Temple of Febe, Eparch took note of Peitha's rebellious actions and became interested in the Pact Commander, or "Wayfinder" as the Kryptis had begun calling the interloper, due to the Commander's feelings and scent. He contacted the Commander telepathically across realms, lamenting Cerus's fall yet showing amusement at Peitha's act of high treason. He also revealed that the Commander reminded him of his ancient Seer rival and that both the Commander and Isgarren's fears tasted alike. Eparch gave the Commander a subtle warning to choose their allegiances and next course of action carefully as he claimed that Peitha's rebellion would be shortlived.

Act V: The Realm of Dreams

While the Wayfinder and Peitha's other allies carve a path through Eparch's loyalists and seek his erstwhile second-in-command (General Nephus), Eparch himself is nowhere to be either seen or heard. Instead he leaves Queen Labris, to control operations on the ground.

Eparch finally appears when Peitha is making her speech to the Kryptis at the Coliseum of the Midnight King. He immobilises all the members of the Astral Ward and proceeds to mock Peitha and asks if any of the listening Kryptis wish to follow her. He then makes Peitha an offer to spare Tyria and allow her to live there in exile if she will release his queen. After Labris sacrifices herself and channels her lifeforce into Eparch, he cries out in anguish and angrily promises to follow through with the war and to "devour everything". However, he then surprisingly disappears from the Coliseum without any further action or response towards either Peitha or any of her allies.

Location

The Mists

• Fractals of the Mists
  • Lonely Tower Fractal

Story involvement

Secrets of the Obscure story

• Act II
  • Voices beyond the Veil (as "Strange Voice", voice only)
  • The Missing Facet (as "Strange Voice", voice only)
  • Tower of Secrets (voice only)
• Act III
  • Treachery (voice only)
• Act V: The Realm of Dreams
  • Eventide's March
• Act VI: The Midnight King

Event involvement

Quickly disperse the unstable rift before it explodes (80) (voice only)

Combat abilities

Abilities

• The Midnight King

Gallery

• 

  Eparch and the Throne of Midnight concept art by Volta.

Trivia

• Eparch is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
• Eparch derives from Ancient Greek ἔπαρχος (éparkhos), from ἐπί (epí, 'over') and ἀρχός (arkhós, 'ruler'), meaning overlord.

See also

Associated items

• Relic of the Midnight King