This page is about The Arknverse character. For the Arkn: Unity incarnation, see Gilgamesh (Universe A)
Gilgamesh is the second Arkn of Universe A. He was the first king of the Arkn. During his reign, he entered into a partnership with the Dekn Emperor The Carver, who killed him in battle and used his essence and torment to mold The Infernous.
History
Backstory
Origins
After the Hethe Leg'leg destroyed the creation of Malek, it was forbidden to create a Deedrn. Instead, it created the second Arkn, Xeth'i'stral. Xeth'i'stral was endowed with Leg'leg's cruelty, as well as his destructive nature. Xeth'i'stral aided the Arkn in the first battle against the Dekn, helping the Arkn to lay claim to The First Tree. Due to this, he was renowned among the Arkn, becoming known as the Arkn Lord of Battle.
When the Dekn attacked and reclaimed the Tree, the Hethe gifted the Arkn with weapons to help them fight back. Xeth'is'stral was given Immulsyr, a great hook, which became his signature weapon.At the height of the War, Xeth'i'stral aided the first three Arkn in a ritual: on Raziel's instruction, he cut his hand and bled into a chalice, lending his pure Hethe-infused blood to a concoction which was poured into the First Tree; this led to the creation of Magick, which birthed the realm of the Arkn and The Golden Cities.
First King of the Arkn
In time, Xeth'i'stral rose up to become the first King of the Arkn, with a new title: the Arkn Lord of Kings and Rule. In the lull period following the First War, he feared losing his influence over the Arkn (as well as being overthrown by one more powerful than himself). Despite having taking a vow before the Hethe not to pass on his power through offspring, Xeth'i'stral took for himself a mate: the Arkn High Priestess, Kry'atha. The two attempted to create a child by combing their life energies; however, their efforts failed when Kry'atha initiated the ritual without the king's consent, causing him to interrupt the ritual in a fit of rage.
Departing from Kry'atha, Xeth'i'stral sought out the affections of a beautiful Arkn Lord and soldier, Hash'bor'kanibal, whom he knighted. Xeth'i'stral later discovered that Hash'born was secretly a Dekn noble in disguise; however, he continued their affair, and he realized the power and control their partnership afforded him. To keep the Arkn fearful of the Dekn, Xeth'is'stral ordered covert attacks on Arkn cities, often with Hash'born's help. These devastating attacks were claimed to be the work of a Dekn warlord named "The Carver"; Xeth'i'stral spread tales of this being amongst his subjects, establishing the legend of a fearful, skeletal creature who attacked under a cover of darkness.
The First Guardian Arkn
Around this same time, the Arkn learned of Humanity. They established The Watchers: a group of 200 Arkn who were dispatched to watch over humans in their realm and learn about them. The Watchers soon began to mingle with humans and interact with them firsthand. Xeth'i'stral followed their example, becoming the first Arkn to attach itself to a human. He became the Guardian of Lord Gilgamesh, the ruler of the Mesopotamians taking Gilgamesh's name his own to cement their connection. While the intentions were (apparently) good, Xeth'i'stral mistakenly started the first war of mankind, and became a god in the eyes of humanity. Regardless, many more Arkn would follow suit, attaching themselves to humans (usually their own "descendants").
The Inquisition
With Hash'born acting as his personal spy, Gilgamesh continued keeping tabs on his subjects. During one of these spy missions, the king's worst fears were realized: the Arknmagus, Raziel, had betrayed his vow of celibacy and produced a family. Worse, Kry'atha had entered into an affair with Raziel's own daughter, Jos'sephine, and produced a child with her. Enraged, Gilgamesh went before the Council of Paradisium and accused Raziel of breaking his vow to the Hethe; with the help of Hash'born's manipulative Dekn mental powers, he had Raziel convicted and his family sentenced to death.
When Hash'born went to arrest Jos'sephine, he discovered that she had already been killed in a magick explosion. However, her infant daughter was still alive. Hash'born showed the infant to Gilgamesh, allowing him to name her before sending her off to be raised by a noble magi family. However, Gilgamesh still feared the magick users of the city; he was worried that they possessed the power to overthrow the aristocracy — himself included. A short time later (possibly with Hash'born's encouragement), Gilgamesh had Raziel's Magic College shut down, claiming that they were experimenting with "perverse Dekn magics". He then started an Inquisition to rid the Paradisium of all magic users, having all the magi in the city rounded up and arrested or killed.
The Damnation of the King
To cement "The Carver" as the great enemy of the Arkn (and ensure that they would, in a sense, maintain control over the War throughout Existence), Gilgamesh and Hash'born concocted a plan. The two of them arranged to meet in humanity's realm, under the ruse that Hash'born was envious of Gilgamesh's deification and wanting to "reason" with him. Hash'born carried Gilgamesh's own sickle blade, Imulsyr (which he had "stolen"). The two met on the battlefield in humanity's realm and fought, with Hash'born decimating Gilgamesh's human army (and a good number of the Seraphim, his personal kingsguard).
After sending away his most trusted warrior, Phobos, to inform the Paradisium Council of Hash'born's betrayal, Gilgamesh uttered a series of words in the Hethian tongue, generating a massive shock wave that destroyed the remaining Seraphim. As Gilgamesh basked in this show of power, the images of the Paradisium Council appeared in the sky before him; the Council accused Gilgamesh of treason, and ordered his arrest. As Gilgamesh protested his innocence, Hash'born took advantage of his distraction, beheading him with a single stroke. Holding up the king's severed head, Hash'born reverted to his true form, revealing himself to be a Dekn Lord before the horrified Council.
Promptly after leaving the Arkn, Hash'born (now known as "The Carver", and the greatest enemy of the Arkn people) brought the bones of Gilgamesh to a place of pure darkness and began constructing The Infernous. Hash'born used Immulsyr to carve out Gilgamesh, fashioning it into a set of knuckle dusters. Once the realm was complete, The Carver allowed Gilgamesh to transfer part of his living legacy into a child, before sealing him away in darkness and torment. The son of Gilgamesh and The Carver was released from The Infernous and left on the golden steps of the Council House in Elysia, to be raised by Lazarus Del'Phar. This child was the ArknAngel and Arkn King of Battle, Uriel.
Gilgamesh's Legacy
From here, Gilgamesh's fear and agony began to form itself into a source of pure power; Carver allegedly used this to fuel the molding of The Infernous, by trapping Gilgamesh forever in this state of agony. The former Arkn King became known as The Heart of the Infernous. Unbeknownst to both the Arkn and the Dekn, however, the legend was a complete and total lie: Gilgamesh's essence rested comfortably in its own cell, and he was able to come and go as he pleased in the realm.
Following the death of Gilgamesh, Del'phar set about erasing the king's mistakes from history, framing his actions (like establishing the Guardian Arkn) as heroic rather than selfish. He also re-wrote the story of Gilgamesh's last battle: he claimed that Del'phar had been victorious in battle against "a Dekn Lord" (whom he had felled using Hethian Words); that he and his Seraphim had been arrested several days later for war crimes at their own victory banquet, and that they had all been executed unjustly. The Council agreed to this, as it hid the disgrace of Gilgamesh's defeat. Uriel was raised hearing of his father's great and glorious feats, completely unaware of the treachery, shame, and destruction the First King had wrought upon the Arkn. He idolized Gilgamesh, and vowed to one day become as great a ruler as he.
The Golden Queen
Later, after Ambriel was killed by The Carver and sent to The Infernous, Gilgamesh became one of her prime tormentors. He would stalk her through the Infernous, subjecting her to horrendous torture when he found her. Her suffering was so extreme that it fractured her soul, leaving her with severe PTSD and causing the color of her eyes to change (taking on a golden hue).
Solar's Crimson
Some time before the End Times, Azrael began shutting down The Infernous, releasing various prisoners as the realm began breaking apart. Gilgamesh was among those released; he departed from The Infernous, and took over a series of living vessels. His final vessel was that of his own grandson, Ellpagg, whom The Carver had been torturing in the Garage.[1] Gilgamesh and The Carver greeted one another warmly (and with a punch), and Gilgamesh donned a long coat to cover Ellpagg's battered body. He and The Carver revealed that they were (and had always been) secret partners and allies, and that they had never hated each other. As the broadcast cut off, The Carver crowed that no one would see "this" coming.
Fate
Universe A
Gilgamesh used Ellpagg's body to cause chaos and destruction as the End Times began. When the Battle of the Arknza arrived, Gilgamesh joined The Carver by his side on the battlefield. He aided in the fight against the Arknangels, including his own son, Uriel. Gilgamesh used Ellpagg's body to kill the Arknangel Raziel (who was attempting to get through to the possessed Ellpagg). However, absorbing Raziel's spirit gave Ellpagg the strength to break free of Gilgamesh's hold, and the two separated into two beings. Now acting independently, Ellpagg joined Azrael Michaelis Winter in fighting Gilgamesh, and the former king was defeated and killed – this time for good.
Appearance
Gilgamesh has long, flowing dark hair and a full, well-trimmed beard. While he is one of the strongest Arkn, he is not as muscular as his strength would indicate, being more heavyset and tall than fit. He is described as having a very beautiful appearance, which Uriel inherits.
Gilgamesh is known to don heavy, golden armor that has wing plating, allowing the individual feathers to be sword-sharp and battle ready. His crown is crafted from the very gold that lines the streets of Elysia, and his sword is made from the wood of the First Tree and high-forged Arkn Steel (courtesy of Helios).
Powers and Abilities
Gilgamesh possesses all the standard powers of the Arkn, including flight, telekinesis, summoning, and possession. He is renowned for having immense physical strength, despite being rather heavyset. He also has powerful ties to Hethian magick, due to being Leg'leg's prime creation; notably, he is able to use Hethian words to create shockwaves (which he once used to destroy a large portion of humanity and his own army of Seraphim). However, he is fearful and distrustful of magick, and rarely uses this power (preferring to rely on his physical strength.
Behind the Scenes
- Gilgamesh was created and portrayed by DeathlyLogic, and written by DL and Candlewalker.
Gilgamesh's marital status varies in canon, depending on who is writing him. Candlewalker portrays Gilgamesh and Kry'atha as husband and wife (and has stated that they were married), while DeathlyLogic flip flops on the issue.
- Gilgamesh is one of the most controversial characters in The Arkn Mythos, due to his war crimes, his abusive behavior towards Kry'atha, and sentencing her and her same-sex partner to death (the latter of which led to accusations of homophobia from readers). Type0Negative was particularly unhappy with the character's portrayal, as one of the main traits of Uriel (whom he had written and developed) was his admiration for his father.
- DeathlyLogic has stated that had he not faked his own death, Gilgamesh would have been "a fantastic father, a terrible corrupt ruler, and a bad husband. He was all about continuing his genetic purity, and would have raised Uriel as a god."