The secret of the high mask of the ancients was thought to be lost in time forever. But with the coming of the undying pharaoh its secrets were snatched away from the scarabs and the sands. Once more, masks were forged that contained the secret energies of lost aeons. Their true powers remained a mystery, but from the little that showed at first glance it was clear that they were most powerful indeed. Unfortunately, the pharaoh decreed that their powers were not meant for ordinary mortals, and ordered them to be destroyed. It is said that it was necessary to combine the powers of different ancient idols in order to create those legendary artifacts.

...so Morgathla revealed to him one of the secrets it was guarding, a secret that had been thought lost for a long time. And Arkhothep forged the parts of a powerful mask and assembled it on a demon altar. He had secretly erected this unholy shrine underneath the great pyramid he had planned to use as the final resting place for his father. So strong was this altar's magic that it fused the parts to form the famous Helmet of the Ancients as soon as they were placed on it. Eight helmets Arkhothep crafted, one for himself and one for each of his allies. But he did not fully trust his fellow conspirators, so he inserted ordinary rubies into their helmets, while his own helmet was imbued with the eternal power of a soul ruby. This way those helmets had only a fraction of his own helmet's powers. But Arkhothep's precautions against his allies went further than that. He only revealed the secret to forge one single part of the helmet to each of them, and each of them was taught the secret to forge a different part. Arkhothep clearly saw through his allies' greedy natures. He knew they would never share their knowledge with each other, and he foresaw that their greed would make them plot against each other rather than against him.