Lethe
| Lethe | |||||
 Lethe, from Ultima Underworld II | |||||
| Species: | liche | ||||
| Appearances | |||||
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Lethe is a liche, who in life was war-leader and paramour to Praecor Loth. She and the other members of Loth's Company of Three appear in Ultima Underworld II.
Description[edit]
Loth appointed Lethe to his entourage after witnessing her prowess in combat at an arena fight, and she soon after rose to become one of his most trusted retainers, serving as both his general and assassin. The two became lovers, much to Queen Helena's displeasure,[1] and Lethe became possessed of an all-consuming obsession with her liege which would last well beyond both of their deaths.
After Praecor Loth and his army fell at the battle of Fyrna, Lethe joined with Morphius and Lord Umbria in engineering a spell which would keep their king's ghost bound to the world of the living, believing himself to still reign. For centuries, the Three jealously guarded Loth in death, doing what they could to maintain the illusion that they had never died.
Nearly seven hundred years after her own demise, the Avatar would come to Rhiannon and confront Lethe, having need to reach Loth and take possession of his fabled horn. Lethe would beg the hero to leave her and her beloved master be, desperate to continue the charade that the two of them still lived. Eventually, the Avatar would be forced to destroy her in order to reach the king's chambers.[2]
Lore[edit]
| “ | When I finally reached the uppermost floor, I saw to my horror that Helena's warnings held true — the Company of Three are undead. I spoke with each of them briefly, and inspected the modifications they had made to their resting-chambers.
Lethe was the true horror — if she could have gained any amusement from it, I feel sure she would have killed me for sport! She had a daemon with her as companion, who carried a key slung from his belt — a key that surely led through the door I glimpsed at the other end of her chamber of horrors. She would let me pass no farther, and I withdrew in haste. |
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Trivia[edit]
- Lethe (meaning "oblivion" or "forgetting") is the name of one of the five rivers of the Grecian underworld. The souls of the dead who drink of its waters were said to lose all memories they had of their mortal lives.