Eparch

"Midnight King" redirects here. For the release, see The Midnight King.

Eparch

Race

Demon

Level

80

Rank

Legendary

Location

Lonely Tower Fractal
(Fractals of the Mists)
Spire of Dreams
(Inner Nayos)

Organization

Kryptis

Image(s)

Eparch, the Consumed King

“

Eparch is not comparable to Tyrian leaders. He does not simply drain them of wealth. Or land. He has taken to...eating them. Our blood is his blood, and eventually we will all be dissolved.

— Peitha in Treachery

Eparch, the Midnight King, is the tyrannical demon ruler of Nayos, the Realm of Dreams, and overlord of the Kryptis. Information collected by the Astral Ward suggests that he and his mate, Queen Labris, are the uncle and aunt of Cerus, Deimos, and Peitha. He has organized his people into a hierarchical society of lesser and higher Kryptis with many noble houses that swear allegiance to him. Eparch has a centuries-spanning rivalry with Isgarren after the latter denied him a seat in the Wizard's Court council due to Eparch's selfish aims. The Midnight King cares little for most of his subjects as all he is interested in is increasing his power and knowledge which he accomplishes by sending his army to corrupt and consume other realms and their inhabitants. Eparch is not averse to making his subjects fight among themselves or consuming them as well.

Despite waging a fierce war, Eparch is eventually cornered at his seat of power in the Citadel of Zakiros and defeated by the combined might of the Astral Ward and Peitha's Kryptis rebels. Accepting his fate, he pleads Peitha to consume his lifeforce to add his power to her own. Peitha does not honor her uncle's request, however, instead choosing to slay him and disperse his essence to prove herself as a different kind of leader than Eparch while she succeeds him as the new Midnight King.

Biography

Early years

Arrival to Tyria and banishment

Eparch was one of the demons who evolved and learned over time. During the previous Dragon cycle, Eparch somewhat made it into Tyria where he had an encounter with Mordremoth. The elder dragon relentlessly chased Eparch, leaving him helpless and terrified until he was rescued by the Seer wizard Isgarren.

Isgarren brought Eparch back to the Wizard's Tower where he started to teach him about Tyria, eventually giving him the possibility to join the Wizard's Court. During his studies, Eparch unintentionally starved himself. He attempted to explain his worries and the deep hunger he felt to Isgarren, but the wizard dismissed them. Overwhelmed by his hunger, Eparch eventually snapped. He killed a entire village of Centaurs and fed on their corpses. This terrified Isgarren, who ultimately denied Eparch entry to the court's ranks and banished him back to Nayos.

In a talk with Mabon where he explained what had led to Eparch's sudden banishment, Isgarren admitted that he did not know what Eparch had actually been after on Tyria, only that the demon had not been pleased when he had been forced out.

Eparch's banishment from Tyria led to an intense rivalry and eventual war between him and Isgarren as he swore to bring Isgarren and Amnytas down and claim the wizards' secrets and power for himself.

King of the Kryptis

Most demons tended to be solitary creatures if not led by a progenitor, but Eparch saw potential in them uniting under a leader who could then use their amassed strength for grander goals. He named himself Midnight King and built a demon society in Nayos, the Realm of Dreams, in his own image, creating a kingdom of fear and anger. Eparch made Labris his queen and organized the Kryptis demons into a hierarchical society of lesser and higher Kryptis and gave them titles and noble houses while making them swear allegiance to him. Information collected by the Astral Ward later revealed that he and Queen Labris were the uncle and aunt of Cerus, Deimos, and Peitha. Out of all the Kryptis, the one demon that Eparch seemed to genuinely care for was his mate, Queen Labris.

The Midnight King gave the Kryptis orders to invade other realms in the Mists and consume and corrupt their landscape and inhabitants to add these victims' power into their own, while he would feed on his subjects in turn and scheme for ways to send his forces en masse to invade Amnytas and Tyria. Some Kryptis chose not to align with Eparch's society, however, and remained as independent, ravenous wanderers as seen with the oni, or as peaceful and frightened wanderers roaming in Nayos. Although most Kryptis were intimidated by their powerful king to the point of fighting to their last breath rather than anger him, a select few had the courage to speak against his tyranny. Febe, one of the respected lords of the Kryptis, spoke about autonomy and defied Eparch openly but was slain by Deimos in the Temple of Febe with Deimos's brother Cerus and Eparch in audience. Eparch was said to have smiled upon watching Febe's fall.

Lonely Tower Fractal

Eparch confronts Isgarren during the assault on the Wizard's Tower.

After the Astral Ward's founding in 604 AE, Eparch's kryptis possessed the first Warden of the Wizard's Court, Taryn. This ultimately lead to Eparch's first invasion attempt into Tyria in 635 AE, where they targeted the Wizard's Tower with Eparch himself leading the incursion alongside Cerus and Deimos. The assault led to the deaths of the wizards Akeem and Vass and culminated in Isgarren and Eparch's second confrontation. Isgarren and his allies were able to force the Midnight King and the Kryptis back into Nayos despite the tower sustaining heavy damage in the ensuing clash.

Interim years

When Deimos was stuck in the wards of the Bastion of the Penitent and slain by the Pact Commander and raiders many years later in 1330 AE, Eparch was merely content to watch and did nothing to help his champion, which Deimos's and Cerus's sister, Peitha, would remember as another form of the Midnight King's indifference towards his subjects.

Secrets of the Obscure

Act 3

Following the Pact Commander and Peitha's victory over Cerus and the liberation of Isgarren from the Temple of Febe, Eparch took note of Peitha's rebellious actions and became interested in the Pact Commander, or "Wayfinder" as the Kryptis had begun calling the interloper, due to the Commander's feelings and scent. He contacted the Commander telepathically across realms, lamenting Cerus's fall yet showing amusement at Peitha's act of high treason. He also revealed that the Commander reminded him of his ancient Seer rival and that both the Commander and Isgarren's fears tasted alike. Eparch gave the Commander a subtle warning to choose their allegiances and next course of action carefully as he claimed that Peitha's rebellion would be shortlived.

The Realm of Dreams

While the Wayfinder and Peitha's other allies carved a path through Eparch's loyalists and sought his erstwhile second-in-command General Nephus, Eparch himself was nowhere to be either seen or heard. Instead he left Queen Labris to control operations on the ground and had his pet wyvern, Knaebelag the Terror, to patrol the outskirts of Zakiros to terrify his Kryptis subjects to remain loyal to him. After winning support from Eparch's former military commander, General Nephus, Peitha and her allies defeated and captured Labris.

Eparch finally made an appeararance when Peitha presented the chained Labris to a large Kryptis crowd and made her rallying speech for the king's subjugated people to join the rebel cause at the Coliseum of the Midnight King. The Midnight King showed his power by immobilizing the Wayfinder and all the members of the Astral Ward, and proceeded to mock Peitha and ask if any of the listening Kryptis wished to follow her, watching in delight as the crowd hesitated. He then made Peitha an offer to spare Tyria and allow her to live there in exile if she would release his queen. However, even in her weakened state, Labris would not allow Peitha to use her as leverage to undermine all that she and Eparch had built. The defiant queen sacrificed herself to her beloved king's cause, forcing the last of her essence into Eparch as he and the rest of the coliseum looked on in horror.

The crowd erupted in chaos—some declaring allegiance to Peitha, some to Eparch. The rest fled in terror. Even the king was stunned by his queen's martyrdom. Roaring in fury, he vowed to devour all who opposed him and challenged any who stood with Peitha to bring the fight to him in the Citadel of Zakiros. Eparch did not exact vengeance at that moment against expectations, however, as he chose to retreat to the citadel hastily.

The Midnight King

Despite his promise to consume everything and the rebels forces having been weakened by constant battles in the following months, Eparch remained in the safety of his citadel behind a layer of protective fog that would harm any intruder. As Peitha and the rebels tried to figure out the Midnight King's plan and why he had not unleashed what they believed a massive army lying in wait within the citadel, they were ambushed by the Daggers of Zakiros, Eparch's elite assassins, but defeated them after a fierce struggle. Peitha smelled fear on the assassins' remains, surmising that despite his boasts, Eparch was actually afraid of her. Emboldened, the rebels, assisted by the Wayfinder and the Astral Ward, began the push towards the Citadel of Zakiros with General Nephus's guidance to dispel the fog by destroying the towers surrounding the citadel and fighting through Eparch's fiercest loyalists to reach the Midnight Throne.

With help from the Astral Ward reinforcements brought by the wizards Dagda and Zojja, the strike team successfully penetrated into the Spire of Dreams where the Kryptis houses of old had convened prior to Eparch's tyranny. While there, they witnessed another grand entrance from Eparch: this time, however, the Midnight King had been consumed by his hunger and had taken on a massive monstrous form, using his power amassed over the centuries to battle the intruders while summoning zealous reinforcements via rifts. After a lengthy battle, the rebels succeeded in drawing out many of Eparch's consumed essences by attacking his hardened carapace as well as damaging him from the inside when he tried to devour some of his opponents. Drained, the Midnight King reverted to his humanoid form and retreated up his central tower to his throne while muttering that he needed even more power.

Wasting no time, Peitha chose to pursue the weakened Eparch despite sensing his army still lying in wait within the citadel. The team came to the realization that Eparch might still triumph if his army came to assist him, so the strike team split up: Dagda and Frode would lead most of the assault force to secure Zakiros and cover the flanks and, if the battle ended up badly, evacuate as many rebels to Tyria to avoid the vengeful Midnight King's wrath. Meanwhile, Peitha led the Wayfinder, Nephus, Ramses, and Arina to finish the fight or die trying.

While ascending the tower, the group came across Kryptis memories that revealed details about both the Midnight King's past, including his harrowing encounter with Mordremoth, as well as the sensations of his many victims. They suddenly sensed a change in Eparch's army ahead and hurried onward, only to find themselves in a reliquary room where they learned the grim truth: there was no army left as countless number of Kryptis had been sacrificed and turned into essence-filled relics to feed the king's hunger as he had consumed them just moments before to recover his lost strength.

As the group reached the Midnight Throne, Eparch lay in wait, accompanied by his twin commanders, General Alkaeus and General Zantharon, and some of the remaining loyalists. The Midnight King was no longer willing to negotiate terms: he demanded nothing less than Peitha's life as compensation for the rebellion. Instead of submitting, however, Peitha insulted both Eparch and the late Labris by claiming that the latter had been the strategist and had died for nothing. Snarling in rage at the insult to his wife and queen, Eparch's control snapped. Hungry for even more power, he shockingly consumed his own general, Alkaeus, in blind fury. Zantharon, seeing his own brother murdered and absorbed by the king he had sworn fealty to, turned against Eparch. The throne room erupted, loyalists shouting accusations and changing sides as Eparch himself attacked indiscriminately.

Despite facing not only Peitha's rebels but Zantharon's turncoats, Eparch was practically invincible. Fast as the attackers could hurt the Midnight King, the strength of the Kryptis essence healed him faster. Just before Eparch could triumph, a portal ripped open, and Isgarren stepped through. The wizard and the Midnight King faced each other for the first time in centuries as the battle raged around them. Eparch continued exuding control due to his empowered state, however; even Isgarren could not harm him now by himself. To even the odds, the wizard lord freed Peitha's forces from Eparch's spell and urged her to join her power with his while also telling the Wayfinder to use the Heart of the Obscure to further boost their joint attack. The resulting blast of magic was strong enough to prevent the Midnight King from healing himself.

Through their combined efforts, Eparch finally fell. In his last moments, the king of the Kryptis conceded that Peitha would rule. He acknowledged that his niece would take the throne, that she would be the Midnight King. Knowing his fate was sealed, Eparch did not scream in defiance; he instead urged Peitha to consume him, to take his power and use it, as he had, to lead the Kryptis from a position of strength, reminding her that the Kryptis had to be predators or else they would become prey and be destroyed. Peitha lifted Eparch into the air, and then, in a display of both strength and willpower against expectations, she blasted him into pieces instead of consuming his essence to empower herself, stating that this strength had never been Eparch's to give and she would not rule the same way as he had.

Legacy

With Eparch's demise, Peitha assumed the title of Midnight King and ascended the throne as former Eparch loyalists arrived en masse to pay their respects to their new ruler who had defeated the strongest Kryptis in existence. Unbeknownst to those present, however, the Eye of Janthir had been observing the battle in the throne room between Eparch and the rebels from the sidelines and only vanished once Peitha had taken the throne. The shadow of Eparch's centuries-long tyranny was far-reaching, however; some lingering pockets of zealots would continue attacking Tyria in their slain king's name, but the majority of the Kryptis, including General Zantharon, sided with Peitha and agreed to Isgarren and the Astral Ward's terms to cease hostilities with Tyria and promise to never invade again although the Astral Ward would observe Nayos in the years to come to ensure that the Kryptis would keep their word.

Locations

Horn of Maguuma

• Inner Nayos
  • Spire of Dreams (During related events only)

The Mists

• Fractals of the Mists
  • Lonely Tower Fractal

Story involvement

Secrets of the Obscure story

• Act 2
  • Voices beyond the Veil (as "Strange Voice", voice only)
  • The Missing Facet (as "Strange Voice", voice only)
  • Tower of Secrets (voice only)
• Act 3
  • Treachery (voice only)
• The Realm of Dreams
  • Eventide's March
• The Midnight King
  • The Eleventh Hour

Event involvement

Quickly disperse the unstable rift before it explodes (80) (voice only)

[Group Event] Defeat Eparch, the Consumed King (80)

Combat abilities

During Eventide's March

Abilities

• The Midnight King

During The Eleventh Hour

Abilities

• The Midnight King

Effects

Skills

• Despair Barrage (75% – 50% and below 25% health) - Raise your sword and rain down pools of despair that pulse damage and ₁ Torment. Release 3 Drops of Despair.
• Enraged Smash (100% – 75% health and below 25% health) - Smash the ground and unleash a shock wave that inflicts  Knockdown (2s). Release 3 Drops of Rage.
• Inhale (50% – 25% health and below 25% health) -  Pull enemies towards you as you perform a sword spin. Release 3 Drops of Gluttony.
• Midnight Leap (upon reaching 75% health for the first time) - Leap to the center and pull enemies towards you for consumption.
• Rage Fissure (100% – 75% health and below 25% health) - Create ground fissures that pulse ₁ Vulnerability on-hit.
• Scouring Blade - Swing your sword.
  • Bleeding Edge - Swing your sword again.
    • Dissecting Dance - Perform a spin attack around you.
• Spike of Malice (75% – 50% health and below 25% health) - Slam your left fist and and strike enemies with a spike from underneath. Release 3 Drops of Malice.
• Summon (100% – 75% health and below 25% health) - Spin your sword and summon 2 Veteran The Cravens. Release 3 Drops of Regret.
• Wave of Envy (50% – 25% health and below 25% health) - Unleash waves of envy towards a direction that corrupt boons on-contact. Release 3 Drops of Envy.

Stolen skills

During Into the Spider's Lair

Abilities

• Consumes
• Steals Emotional Energy
• Opens Rifts

Effects

(unlocks every 25% health)

•  Time remaining (45s) - Deplete Defiance bar.
• Each time Eparch's Essence Level completely fills:
  • ₅ Despair Empowerment - Takes 0.25% reduced damage from attacks. Stacks intensity.
  • ₅ Envy Empowerment - Gain 1% improved effects for boons and conditions. Stacks intensity.
  • ₅ Gluttony Empowerment - Gains 1% more barrier from consuming Kryptis essence. Stacks intensity.
  • ₅ Malice Empowerment - Spikes of Malice gains increased effectiveness. Stacks intensity.
  • ₅ Rage Empowerment - Gain 0.5% increased attack damage. Stacks intensity.
  • ₅ Regret Empowerment - Gain increased frequency and reinforcement rate from rifts. Stacks intensity.

Skills

• Despair Barrage - Shake your tail and rain down pools of despair that pulse damage and ₁ Torment.
• Enraging Stomp - Slam your right fist and channel cracks in the ground that inflict damage and ₅ Vulnerability upon contact.
• Spike of Malice - Slam your left fist and and strike enemies with a spike from underneath.
• Spike of Regret - Concentrate overwhelming regret at a location. Inflict massive damage to nearby foes, decreasing for each person sharing this burden.
• Wave of Envy - Manifest waves of envy that corrupt boons on-contact.

Stolen skills

•   Soul Stone Venom

During Lonely Tower Fractal

Abilities

• The Midnight King

Behavior

• Summons Kryptis rifts at 65% and 35% health (challenge mode only)

Effects

(unlocked after performing a set number of skills)

•  Determination (challenge mode only) - Each stack reduces incoming defiance damage when defiance is broken.
•  Invulnerability (challenge mode only; at 65% and 35% health) - Immune to conditions and damage.
• Gains the following effects when casting Consume:
  •  Despair Empowerment - Decreases incoming damage; stacks intensity.
  •  Envy Empowerment - Attacks corrupt boons; stacks intensity.
  •  Gluttony Empowerment - Gain health when consuming emotions; stacks intensity.
  •  Malice Empowerment - Attacks inflict conditions.
  •  Rage Empowerment - Increases outgoing damage; stacks intensity.
  •  Regret Empowerment - Reflect incoming damage back to its source; stacks intensity.

Skills

• Consume (when defiance bar is unlocked) - Consume all remaining emotional globules and gain their respective empowerment. Target and  Consume a foe, pulsing damage and ₁ Consumed each second and stealing some stacks of empowerment from them. More stacks stolen at higher fractal tiers.
• Enraged Smash - Smash the ground and unleash an unblockable shock wave that inflicts  Knockdown (2s). Release 6 Rage Globules.
  • Rage Fissure - Create ground fissures that pulse  Agony on-hit.
• Inhale -  Pull enemies towards you as you perform a sword spin. Release 6 Gluttony Globules.
• Rain of Despair - Raise your sword and rain down pools of despair that pulse damage and  Torment. Release 6 Despair Globules.
• Spike of Malice - Slam your left fist and and strike enemies with a set of spikes from underneath. Release 6 Malice Globules.
• Summon - Spin your sword and summon Kryptis reinforcements. Release 6 Regret Globules.
• Wave of Envy - Unleash waves of envy towards a direction that corrupt boons on-contact. Release 6 Envy Globules.

Stolen skills

•   Soul Stone Venom ^{[verification requested]}

Gallery

• 

  The Eleventh Hour loading screen with Eparch and the Midnight Throne by Volta.

Achievements

• The Midnight King: Eparch's Early End — Defeat Eparch within the time limit. (1)
• The Midnight King: Eparch Evader — Evade Eparch's grasp leading up to the final encounter. (1)
• The Midnight King: Voracious Reader — Find the books and artifacts scattered around Zakiros. (1)
• The Midnight King: Your Midnight King Says... — Perform the proper emote when you are commanded to, even if you did not hear "Eparch says." (1)
• Inner Nayos: Citadel of Zakiros: First Journey into the Spider's Lair — Successfully defeat Eparch during the Into the Spider's Lair meta-event. (3)
• Inner Nayos: Citadel of Zakiros: Threatened Consumer — Use the /threaten emote during the "Defeat Eparch, the Consumed King" event. (1)
• Lonely Tower Fractal: Emotionless — Defeat Eparch in the Lonely Tower fractal without allowing him to reach 20 stacks of any emotional attunement. (3)
• Lonely Tower Fractal: Fissure Walker — Defeat Eparch in the Lonely Tower fractal without taking damage from his rage fissures. (3)

Trivia

• Eparch is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
• Eparch derives from Ancient Greek ἔπαρχος (éparkhos), from ἐπί (epí, 'over') and ἀρχός (arkhós, 'ruler'), meaning overlord.

See also

• Family trees

Associated items

• Endless Midnight King Combat Tonic
• Eparch's Sword
• Eparch's Greatsword
• Midnight King Backpiece
• Mini Eparch
• Relic of the Midnight King