Casket of Souls (object)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

"References Needed!" Hamaskis demands it

For other uses of Casket of Souls, see Casket of Souls

The Casket of Souls from cover of book of the same name.

The Casket of Souls was created around 200 years before the events that take place in the book Casket of Souls in order to trap a Demon known as the Lord of Chaos.

Creation

It was made as a result of a need to create a weapon that would destroy a Demon but would not harm beings with souls. When the casket was made, it was a pre-emptive measure, for no Demon had yet come to take charge of the world, but it was believed by the Council of Grand Wizards that one would, taking advantage of the wars ravaging Amarillia. The only sure way was to make a trapping box that would suck the Demon out of the same dimension as Amarillia. The materials used were crystal, bronze and gold. A casket was fashioned from these materials and then enormous elemental and magical power was infused into it. The infusion process involved the combined efforts of the twelve members of the Council of Grand Wizards who each placed their fingers on the casket to begin the process, knowing in advance that only one of them would survive. The casket soon began to glow and became translucent white, radiating all the colours of the spectrum; it also became burning hot. Screaming in pain, but unable to let go lest the casket be rendered useless, eleven of the Grand Wizards did perish.

Sallazar - Keeper of the Casket

Sallazar was the surviving member. He became the keeper of the casket and spent the next ten years alone in Sanctuary, the dwelling of the wizards on the furthermost island of the Icecap Islands, later known as The Cauldron. In that decade the wars ceased with Thorgar becoming King of Amarillia. Over the next 190 years the casket would occasionally glow, a sign that the Demon was watching, learning, growing in power, and planning its move to materialise. In this time, Sallazar remained watchful, seated on the throne in the treasure chamber beneath Sanctuary, watching the casket.

The Coming of the Bone Demon

200 years after its making the casket began to glow more brightly and pulsate. This signified a powerful Demon and Sallazar realised that he might not be able to defeat it. He decided to break the spell that would open the casket into twelve parts, each part being a word. He placed a single word on each of the twelve Royal Magical Treasures, and then disguised and hid the treasures throughout Amarillia by means of stepping through a magical portal. Sallazar then presented himself as a vision in the dreams of the current King, King Kraal, to let him know of the Demon. When Sallazar returned through the portal, the Bone Demon was waiting for him. It held the casket, knowing that Sallazar needed to hold it to activate the spell. In an instant it destroyed Sallazar sending him to the Plane of Shadows. The Bone Demon then raised its army and defeated Kraal in a great battle. There followed thirty days of carnage.

The Champion of Amarillia

Sallazar reached out from the Plane of Shadows to the mind of a great hero. Sallazar took the hero, via a series of visions, through the thirty days of carnage following Kraal's defeat. He showed the hero the twelve treasures and explained their meaning and gave the hero the chance to work out what the spell words were. This gave the hero the ability to open the casket, but the hero still needed the casket itself, which was being jealously guarded by the Bone Demon. The Casket of Souls came into the hands of the hero through the effort of Astares, the Moon Sister, who, in a "final cataclysmic effort" shot through the skies in a ball of burning gases and snatched the Casket from the Bone Demon. She dropped it into The Bottomless Pit and with supreme effort Sallazar was able to force has hand into the world from the Plane of Shadows, catch the casket and give it to the hero, who shouted the spell to banish the Bone Demon.