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Avathars were originally clans of barbaric warriors dwelling in the Vokrazum jungles far to the southeast, nested against the lofty volcanic peaks of the Dragonspine Mountains. The jungles were teeming with life, though most of it was hostile and deadly. Their greatest threat was the Kreen--ferocious insect-men whose hives had already ruled the jungles for millennia. Utterly alien, they saw no value in human life and continually forced the Avathars to the brink of extinction.
From this crucible, the "Alchemical Empire of Arh'Tolth" suddenly emerged as a credible threat to the Kreen. Alchemy had always played a role in Avathar society, as most of the jungle life was poisonous, and the Avathars were always developing new counter-agents to the jungle toxins. A master Avathar Alchemist named Arh'Tolth had a sudden and unexpected breakthrough in his research that made him the ruler of an empire. The "Dragonspine Mountains" were perpetually cloaked with toxic volcanic gases, smoke, and ash. Arh'Tolth developed an Alchemical elixir that made the Avathars resistant to the volcanic toxins, allowing his people to use the mountains as a natural defense against the Kreen.
The Avathars were safe within the mountains, only exposed to danger when they ventured back into the jungles to hunt. Fortunately, the volcanic mountains were rich in mineral resources, and the Alchemists of Arh'Tolth created a new metal Adamant ores into weapons and armor. Elite Avathar warriors known as the Baal'Gharros were augmented with Alchemy to make them as strong and fierce as the Kreen, and for the first time the Avathars were able to push back their ancestral foes. Arh'Tolth became the first king to rule over all of the Avathar houses. One of his first acts was to create a "Royal Guild of Alchemists" in tribute to the arts that had saved his people. They created many wonders of Alchemy, even spawning new races such as the Vozen.
Over time the Avathars also unlocked the deeper mysteries of Necroalchemy to prolong or augment their lives. Necroalchemy provided ways in which they could cheat death, ranging from simple elixirs of longevity to elaborate rituals for creating a Phylactery to transform oneself into a Liche. Avathars had always been obsessed with extending their lifespans, and Alchemy was already infused into the Avathar people, so these new rituals were quickly adopted by those wealthy enough to perform them. Arh'Tolth and the Avathar aristocracy became truly immortal, so long as their Phylacteries remained intact. The Avathars built glorious pyramids and ziggurats in the mountains to honor their gods and the Necroalchemists who had led their people to their true destiny. Under Arh'Tolth their land became great, and continued to grow until it became the "Necroalchemical Empire of Arh'Tolth".
However, this was but an inkling of what was to come, for the Avathars were born to a legacy even they did not fully foresee. Reaching the limits of Necroalchemy, they began to look into the world beyond and dabble in the arts of Necromancy, calling forth the spirits back from the dead. The intent was to restore life to those who had passed beyond before their lives could be preserved, but those who came back were soulless, mindless undead. While the experiments had failed to meet their goals, the undead had their own merits, for they could be made to be obedient and were able to work in the harshest volcanic gases or brightest sunlight without rest. Dwelling in the perpetual twilight of their volcanic valleys, the Avathars had become increasingly uncomfortable in bright sunlight, and only slaves worked outside. The Necroalchemists and Necromancers became like priests, delivering the blessings and prophesies of the gods to the Avathar people. Soon the stone temples, pyramids, and ziggurats of the Avathars were built by the hands of the dead, and armies of risen warriors emptied entire Kreen hives. Over time, the Avathars became fully under the sway of thirteen high-priests and their Kingpriest Arh'Tolth.
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