The God of Death is an otherworldly being that appears in the Half-Dead campaign in Heroes of Might and Magic IV. He is a denizen of the Plane of Death, and wants to destroy all life on Axeoth.
Biography[]
When Gauldoth served his master Kalibarr in Nekross, he gradually realized that something was wrong with the old necromancer. He never confided in Gauldoth any more, and showed no interest in ruling Nekross, leaving the management of the kingdom to Gauldoth. Kalibarr stayed locked within his secret chambers, and his undead body began to deteriorate. Gauldoth decided to sneak into Kalibarr's chambers, where he found the lich talking to a being through a magic portal, calling him "Master", before slipping through the portal. Gauldoth wondered who Kalibarr's master was, what Kalibarr was up to, and why he hadn't been included in the schemes.
When Kalibarr returned, he told Gauldoth to kill a vampire named Malvich and take the Deadwood Staff he possessed. Gauldoth was reluctant, since Malvich was a close ally, but did as instructed. While preparing for war, he learned that Kalibarr had ordered all living children in Nekorrum to be locked up in pens outside the mage guild, and that he'd taken the first hundred of them into his chambers. Gauldoth guessed that the lich was taking them through the portal to his mysterious master, but couldn't understand why.
Gauldoth killed Malvich and gave the staff to his master, then followed the lich in secret as Kalibarr went through the portal with it. To his surprise, Gauldoth found himself on a different plane of existence, similar to the Elemental Planes. Looking around at the "bleak environment, the stale air, the icy chill seeping into my living flesh", he decided to call it the Plane of Death. Gauldoth hid and watched as Kalibarr presented the staff to his master - "an inhumanly tall figure masked in a black cloak that draped behind him like a shadowy wedding train with a life of its own." Gauldoth realized that the creature was a native to the plane.
The being told Kalibarr to keep the staff, and a gnarled, gray hand emerged from the shadowy folds of his cloak to present him with the skull of a creature that Gauldoth didn't recognize. In a few months, the planets would align, and Kalibarr would forge the skull to the staff. With its power, he would be able to cast a powerful spell that slew every living creature on Axeoth.
""I have visited the remains of your former world, Kalibarr. I have seen the rubble of ancient cities, the bones of those who couldn't make it through those annoying portals! So much gone. It was beautiful! But it's a pity so many escaped my reach."
"Yes, a pity!"
"Now, go, Kalibarr! Return to your world, and in three months when the Convergence comes, release the Unholy Breath. Then they will learn there is no escape! When their living flesh melts into a putrid ooze, then they will know oblivion!""
—The God of Death and Kalibarr
Horrified by what he had seen, Gauldoth returned to Axeoth. Realizing that the world would never be safe while Kalibarr served the God of Death, Gauldoth pledged to slay his master.
With the aid of the kreegan Suraze, and the power of his own undead forces, Gauldoth managed to kill Kalibarr and save the living creatures of Axeoth from the God of Death.
Necros theory[]
Some fans have speculated that the God of Death is actually Necros, the antagonist from Crusaders of Might and Magic. Both characters share the common goal of ending all life in the universe, and the Death God's physical description is consistent with Necros' appearance.
When asked about this theory, Heroes IV writer Terry Ray responded that "When I was writing everything, I pictured doing several heroes and slowly bringing that guy out.....however, I kept him vague just in case people wanted to do something else with him. So, Necros could certainly be the God of Death"[1], neither confirming nor denying the rumors.
Appearances[]
The God of Death appears only in Heroes of Might and Magic IV.
Sources[]
