Kerghan

"Greetings. Long have I waited for your arrival, and finally this moment has come. I am Kerghan, first of the Necromancers, voyager in the lands of the dead."

- Kerghan's intro to the living one,when they meet in the void.

Kerghan is the key villain of the 2001 computer game, Arcanum Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura, and he is the first of the necromancers of the world of Arcanum.

History
Kerghan's early life and childhood is unknown, but what is known is that more than 2 thousand ago before the events of the game, Kerghan grew into one of the most powerful human sorcerers. Kan hua says that Kerghan was one of the few human magickers during the age of legends. He was chosen by Nasrudin to be on the elven council and the only human in fact. For 200 years, he studied the different colleges of magic especially white necromancy. Yet this was not enough and he searched more. He came upon the magic of dark necromancy and shared his discovery with the council. Knowing that black necromancy was evil, they told him to quit his research into the darker side of magick. He ignored them and put together the college. By bringing back the souls of the dead and talking to them, summoning dark beings, reanimateing dead corpses, and then quenching the lives of living beings.

Nasrudin became suspicious and sent Arronax to investigate Kerghan. Arronax told Nasrudin and the rest of the council what the sorcerer was doing. First they were going to exile him, throw him out of their number, stripe him of his resources and authority. But Arronax convinced them that he should instead be banished to the void, a mysterious world, where an ancient civilization existed and where they banished other beings they saw as a threat.

When Kerghan entered the void, he discovered that there was no time and was able to enter the realms of the afterlife. He entered the world where souls go to die. There he found peace and eternal happiness. He then came to believe that life is a great mistake of the function of the universe, and in order to correct this he had to destroy it. He continued to practice his dark necromancy and although it increased his power, It also corrupted his body and spirit.

In a few years Arronax was banished as well, and tried to stop the necromancer. But Kerghan managed to get the upper hand and imprisoned him in his castle. Shortly afterwards, the dark elves called across the void. Kerghan took advantage of this by pretending he was Arronax, and told them that in order to escape, they must weaken the barrier between the two worlds, manipulate the Panarii Church, (a religion of the teachings of Nasrudin and the prophecy of the living one his reincarnation), and send him a kingdom of dwarves, known as the Black Mountain Clan.

He forced the dwarves to build a portal device that would enable him to re-enter Arcanum. One of the Black Mountainers escaped and warned the living one of Kerghan's plan and to give his best friend Gilbert Bates back his ring. Which begins the living one's quest to stop, join, or talk Kerghan out of his plan. Whether the living one kills or joins Kerghan he is killed by the living one.