Not so very long ago, a great battle was fought, a battle in which the very existence of the planet Earth hung in the balance. Most of the world’s inhabitants remain blissfully unaware that this conflict even occurred, as the most intense combat occurred in outside of the planet itself. There, the modern goddess Lady Liberty fought a desperate battle against the dual onslaught of Nordok the Ancient and his Destructor, Malicia (who has since rejected her former master and now goes by the name of Trinity).
Had the battle taken place upon the planet’s surface, it is likely that the loss of life and destruction of property would have exceeded that of any war fought in Earth’s history, as blows that would have leveled mountain ranges were exchanged and destructive energies unknown to science were unleashed. Ultimately, at great personal cost, Lady Liberty was victorious. The Ancient One was physically destroyed.
However, Ancients are beings of energy, and the loss of a body means no more to them than the loss of clothing does to a human. Nordok’s dire essence retreated to his base planet to brood upon his defeat and plot his vengeance. All that remained of his form was a skull, a daemonic-looking but otherwise inconspicuous remnant of the titanic struggle fought in the airless void. Having served for so long as the repository for an incalculably potent and limitlessly malevolent mind has left an indelible mark upon the fanged cranium, and it is now a most potent artifact of evil power.
The skull functions as a direct link to Nordok the Ancient, allowing for communication with the malevolent being simply by being in its direct presence. The skull can also serve as a conduit for Nordok power, should the Ancient One so choose, and it allows him to exercise any of his abilities as though he were present, with no loss of finesse or potency. To use or even remain in the skull's presence for extended periods is risky, for it exposes one to the overwhelmingly evil thoughts and power of a being that is as ancient as the universe itself, and this can produce any number of potentially undesirable side-effects.
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