‘ Legend says, the blood of a god provides new life. And I need them alive! Alive, under my spell, with all their POWER! ‘
~ Hokan Ashir to Ereon
Hokan Ashir is a major antagonist in the SpellForce series. While aiding the Rune Warriors in Order of Dawn and in Breath of Winter, he is the main antagonist of the Shadow of the Phoenix expansion. He was one of the thirteen Circle mages and the most powerful necromancer the world has ever known.
Biography
Early Years
Hokan Ashir was born in the city of Kaith Halur and was once a member of the magical order of Zerbites under the apprenticeship of one of their seven leaders Anktahr. The zerbites were responsible for protecting the border of Xu and researching the dangers of the Black Jungle.
Visions
One day Hokan had a dream where he saw an ancient demonic race known as the Nameless invade Eo only to be defeated by the Shaikan. He shared this dream with his master who claimed that what Hokan saw was a vision of a possible future.
Dark Ascension
During an expedition into the black jungle the zerbites found the Bone Temple of Zarach. Exactly what occurred inside is unknown except to Hokan, the sole survivor of the expedition, who emerged from the temple wearing the Mask of Belial, a powerful artifact which belonged to the renegade demi-god of death Belial. Regardless of the truth when Hokan came back he was not the same man who entered the temple, neither mentally or magically. He betrayed his colleagues and almost single handedly wiped out the entire order. He tried stealing their secrets as well and succeeded to a degree but before he could steal them all the zerbites filled their fortresses with traps and puzzles, this act caused them to be trapped within their own fortress and starve to death but this was preferred over handing their secrets over. Hokan tried infiltrating their fortresses but was unsuccessful due to his deteriorating mental state and eventually gave up. During one of these attempt he fought and defeated Anktahr in a duel but soon realized the duel was nothing more than a delaying tactic for the other zerbites to arm the traps of their fortress. The furious magician unleashed his anger on his former mentor and made him a Rune Warrior. In the following years he kept psychologically tormenting Anktahr until he was turned from a wise man into an insane and devious schemer.
Afterwards he realized his powers were uncontrollable and in need of proper training. Not long after he left Xu and joined The Circle.
The Circle
During his time as was one of the Circle mages Hokan became the most powerful necromancer to have ever lived. He created the Soulforger and the Blades as a fusion of metal and soul. His relationship with the other circle mages is mostly unknown but it is known that he had a fierce rivalry with Uram the Red and was friendly towards Raith the Black. He took Ismail as his apprentice and two warriors Korshar and a woman who would be known as The Guardian as the commanders of his armies but the latter also became his bodyguard.
The piper
TBA
Ennoblement
In order to gain prestige among the nobles of Nortander he married a noble woman and sired a daughter whom was named Yasha. This act made him lord of Whisper and the Gate of Kings. Needless to say he neither cared about his wife or his daughter and simply deemed them a "necessary evil".
Convocation
During the Convocation war he sent the blades and his undead creatures against the demonic army of Uram the Red who met his end during the battle of Kaith Halur. Hokan's blades and their commander The Guardian were more than a match for the Red Horde, Uram was killed by the blades. It is unknown exactly how Hokan perished during the convocation but sometime before his death he allowed his daughter to be taken to a safe place and bound one of his rune warriors to Yasha as protection, although this act was not done out of kindness but out of frustration for his wife's constant pleadings. His body was later recovered by Ismail who gave him a proper burial in Whisper.
Beyond the Grave
Eight years later his spirit came back in the City of Whisper and ordered his undead servants to search for the Mask of Belial, they failed but a rune warrior, later on known as the Phoenix Bearer, found it and gave it to him in exchange for information on how to destroy the blades and the Dark One. Hokan revealed that Soul Forger's destruction would disable the other blades and an artifact known as the Phoenix Stone, which was stored in the archives of Mulandir, would be a suitable weapon against the Dark One, who Hokan revealed had actually come to his grave and after mocking him had stolen the plans for the blades.
Masked One
Hokan gained a new body for himself by wearing the Mask of Belial and took on the identity of a shady merchant called "The Masked One" and hired a man called Lucius as his assistant. He also indirectly aided the rune warrior, who would be known as The Shadow Warrior, in resolving the Aryn Crisis by providing him with other rune warriors. While Hokan was alive he was still weakened and regenerating from his death. He disliked being next to places with divine power residing which might be a result of his unnatural revival.
Apotheon
Five years after The Aryn Crisis he used a potion called Life Essence, obtained by having access to the divine blood of the god Ereon whom he captured, to revive his dead comrades of the circle and bound them to his will.
By gathering the circle once more he hoped to access god-like powers by merging with the demi-god Belial. This fusion was interrupted by the two rune warriors, the Phoenix Bearer and the Shadow Warrior, and the circle was defeated once and for all by releasing the Phoenix.
Legacy
TBA