Pyros

Pyros
Pyros, from Ultima IX
Species:	Elemental Titan
Appearances
Ultima IX Transcript: Pyros Ultima VIII Pyros, from Ultima VIII Location: Great Pentagram

Pyros (also known as the Lord of Flame) is one of the four Titans of Pagan, and personifies the element of fire. He appears in Ultima VIII.

History

The Rise of the Titans

Pyros and his siblings came into prominence during the Second Epoch, when the people of Pagan abandoned their worship of the Zealan gods of emotion in favor of revering the raw elements of nature. This change was instigated by the Guardian, who tricked the denizens of Pagan into believing that a terrible entity known as the "Destroyer" was on the verge of arriving on their world, and that only the might of the personified elements could turn it back.

The Titans manifested at a ceremony in the great temple atop Mount Morgaelin, where they appeared to defeat the "Destroyer" (in reality a playacting Guardian) before going on to ravage the earth as they turned their might against those Zealans who still worshiped the gods of old. Pyros was amongst the most destructive of the Titans in his wrath, and scorched the earth with destroying flame in this era of upheaval.

The Binding of Pyros

Centuries after Stellos first made contact with Stratos, five theurgists made the decision to attempt subdue Pyros and halt the volcanic activity which wracked Morgaelin. The magicians bound him to a great piece of blackrock, after luring him to a ritual pentagram under the pretense of making an oblation. Finding themselves shunned by the greater part of human society following their mastery of fire, the four theurgists who survived the binding founded the order of the Sorcerers. The artifact which had quelled Pyros, known as the Tongue of Flames, was kept by the Masters of this sect for the years to come.

Defeat by the Avatar

The Avatar would eventually reach the sorcerer's enclave at Daemon's Crag and join the adherents of Pyros, mastering the arts of sorcery in short order and joining the acolytes of the Lord of Flame. After slaying the master, Malchir, the hero took possession of the Tongue of Flames, and let it touch the site of Pyros' binding, freeing the Titan to take his vengeance on the world of Pagan.

Before the realm could be consumed by fire, however, the Avatar would defeat Pyros on the ethereal plane, using the Tongue to rob the Titan of his power that a means of passage to other worlds might be forged.

Summoning on Britannia

Later, after the Avatar's return to Britannia, the hero would once more summon the power of the subdued Pyros, using a ritual taught by the ghost of Malchir. After invoking the Titan, the Avatar was able to gain access to the elemental realms which would grant passage to the Abyss.

Personality

Pyros was consumed by a burning hatred for those who had bound him, and would do his utmost to break from his captivity whenever he was summoned. Reveling in carnage and destruction, the Fire Titan held all his siblings in poor regard, save Lithos, whose decayed material provided fuel for his flames.

Lore

“

Finally, the five were ready to begin. They drew a pentagram upon the floor in Pyros' Temple, setting the Blackrock in the center where the Lord of Flame was likely to appear. Four of the Theurgists took a point of the pentagram and knelt in readiness, while the fifth stood at the final point and began the traditional Ritual of Summoning. As expected, Pyros appeared in a searing blaze of fire. Immediately feeling the effects of the Blackrock with which he was in contact, he pointed towards a Theurgist and instantly enveloped him in fire. Before the dying Theurgist's tortured scream could fade, the remaining four made up for the loss and quickly commenced the binding process' chants. Flames licked about the Theurgists as they intoned the various words of power until finally it was over. Pyros was bound in the larger fragment. – from The Chronicle of Pagan (Ultima VIII)

“	Summon Pyros is but a rumor, a lyric on the tongues of bards, of a terrible ritual to unfetter the Titan of Fire from his chains and unleash him upon the Earth. If, by chance, you should learn of it, do not forget the lyric's coda: So summon Pyros, the Lord of Fire, and bind him to your soul. Though he does your will, will he return you to his hole. – from Spellbook (Ultima IX)

Trivia

• Pyros' name derives from the Greek word πυρ (pyr), meaning "fire."
• In Ultima VIII it is possible to sabotage the summoning ritual for Pyros, resulting in Pagan's destruction and the Avatar's death, punctuated by an ominous chuckle from the Guardian.
• Malchir asks Pyros about the sun, but he denies any knowledge about that topic.
• Pyros' appearance in Ultima IX was originally conceived as a vision sent to Lord British by the Guardian. After rewrites and other restructuring, as covered in Development history of Ultima IX, he was incorporated into the plot as an actual encounter.
• Pyros is voiced by Kirk Winterrowd. In the French and German translations, the character is played by Alain Thomas and Werner Althous, respectively.

External Links

• Ultima VIII – The Ritual of Flame (YouTube) – Pyros is released