"You have read the signs as clearly as I. The growing power of Chaos makes no distinction between the living and the dead. Nagash must rise, or our realms of silence will fall. "
- —Arkhan the Black, loyal servant of Nagash
Arkhan the Black, the right-hand of Nagash.
Arkhan the Black, known now and forever as the Liche King, was the first and most loyal of the evil Nagash's followers. Arkhan helped lead the coup which brought the arch-necromancer to power, and he was the first, after his lord, to imbibe the Elixir of Life. Arkhan was the most adept of Nagash's pupils in the study of dark sorcery, and he quickly rose to become the necromancer's trusted vizier and principal lieutenant. Arkhan led many armies against Nagash's enemies and was never defeated in open combat. In the end, however, the sheer numbers of the Priest Kings' soldiers forced Nagash to retreat. It was Arkhan who led the suicidal counter-attack that gave Nagash the opportunity to escape.[1a]
For over an hour Arkhan held back the Army of the Seven Kings through feats of martial prowess and powerful sorcery. Arkhan finally fell, not to a hero's sword, but to a single spear hurled by an unknown soldier. Arkhan stared in horror at the shaft protruding from his chest, knowing that it had pierced his heart. With his dying breath, he threatened that a terrible curse would befall any who touched his corpse, and with that, he slumped to the ground. Within seconds, dark flames had consumed Arkhan's flesh leaving behind only a blackened skeleton. Whilst the rest of Nagash's followers were beheaded and burnt, none dared risk desecrating Arkhan's remains, and so they covered them under a cairn of stones instead.[1a]
Nagash did not forget his most able lieutenant, and when he returned to wreak vengeance on Nehekhara, Arkhan was reborn as the Lithe King — the first of Nagash's nine Dark Lords. These fell beings were the foremost of Nagash's captains, and they brought despair and destruction to his foes. Though Nagash was eventually slain, his loyal servant Arkhan remained. For countless generations, Arkhan the Black vented his anger on the lands of the living, butchering the inhabitants of the world from the kingdoms of Araby in the west to the fledgling Empire in the north. However, Arkhan the Black retained his master's unquenchable thirst for dominion over the realms of Nehekhara above all else, and he finally returned to the Land of the Dead. From his cursed Black Tower, Arkhan has carved out a powerful realm. The other Tomb Kings tolerate Arkhan, for he is a powerful ally to those who can afford his price.[1a]
Of all the rulers in the Land of the Dead, Arkhan's greatest rival remains Settra the Imperishable. The two have fought against each other a dozen times, and though Arkhan's army cannot rival the might of Settra's, neither can the King of Nehekhara overcome the Liche King's dark sorcery. Their battles thus end in stalemate, and only when Arkhan bows Nagash did not forget his most able lieutenant, and when he returned to wreak vengeance on Nehekhara, Arkhan was reborn as the Lithe King — the first of Nagash's nine Dark Lords. These fell beings were the foremost of Nagash's captains, and they brought despair and destruction to his foes. Though Nagash was eventually slain, his loyal servant Arkhan remained.[1a]
For countless generations, Arkhan the Black vented his anger on the lands of the living, butchering the inhabitants of the world from the kingdoms of Araby in the west to the fledgling Empire in the north. However, Arkhan the Black retained his master's unquenchable thirst for dominion over the realms of Nehekhara above all else, and he finally returned to the Land of the Dead. From his cursed Black Tower, Arkhan has carved out a powerful realm. The other Tomb Kings tolerate Arkhan, for he is a powerful ally to those who can afford his price. Of all the rulers in the Land of the Dead, Arkhan's greatest rival remains Settra the Imperishable. The two have fought against each other a dozen times, and though Arkhan's army cannot rival the might of Settra's, neither can the King of Nehekhara overcome the Liche King's dark sorcery.[1a]
Their battles thus end in stalemate, and only when Arkhan bows his head and utters false promises of fealty does Settra return satisfied to Khemri. Whilst Arkhan feigns servitude, he is secretly plotting for a way to hasten the inevitable return of Nagash. To this end, he has scoured the globe in search of the Great Necromancer's enchanted items, for a fraction of his evil will still resides within each. Arkhan the Black wields his master's own magical staff, plucked from the clutches of the Vampire Mandregan, and with it he channels the Winds of Magic to his whim. However, Arkhan's most prized possession is the Liber Mortis, one of the nine Books of Nagash that hold the secrets to necromantic magic. One day Arkhan the Black will succeed in resurrecting his dark master, and on that day the Tomb Kings shall be destroyed, and the world shall drown in death.[1a]
The End Times
Arkhan travelled to Sylvania to seek out Mannfred von Carstein, the vampire he had been manipulating for many centuries. There he made a pact with the vampire, and together they sought out the remaining artefacts needed to resurrect the Great Necromancer. After many battles they collected the objects and took them to the Nine Daemons in Sylvania. As the forces of Order attempted to stop him, Arkhan completed the black ritual, binding Nagash's spirit into the body of Volkmar the Grim and fusing his claw to the Arch-Lector's arm.
Following his master's commands, Arkhan travelled with his master to Nehekhara to exact final vengeance upon the Tomb Kings and Settra and finally take what was rightfully his: the undead people of Nehekhara. Arkhan was instrumental yet again in this time, and provided a distraction so that Nagash could infiltrate Khemri and enter his Black Pyramid, travel to the Nehekharan underworld, and consume the death god Usirian.
After crushing the rebellious Tomb Kings and humiliating Settra, Arkhan travelled north again to Sylvania with his master. Fortifying the Magic-infused realm, Arkhan defended his master and the Black Pyramid as he convalesced within, growing more powerful every day as he slowly absorbed the death magic he had placed in Sylvania.
Unfortunately, Nagash's plans were defeated by an underhanded Skaven attack, which resulted in the Black Pyramid's complete destruction and the total loss of his divine power. Arkhan was greatly saddened by this turn of events, but still remained fiercely loyal to Nagash, and followed him once again as he sought to ally with the other Incarnates.
In the ensuing battles, Arkhan was instrumental in commanding Nagash's armies, and revealed his ancient and mutually felt love for Neferata, mother of all vampires, and finally fell in battle against the hordes of Chaos, not to rise again.