Stop me if you heard this once before, long ago in the endless deserts of Egypt there ruled a King who existed long before any Pharaohs, determined to keep his empire form falling the King and his most loyal Priests by stumbling upon magic and using its power became immortal in the form of undying.
With his new found immortally the King began to experiment with magic mixing, moulding and spinning it until he became so proficient in it he could not only summon and use any element the king using the body's/corpses of his enemies and subjects could bring the dead back to life making him the creator of Necromancy.
Over the years the King's body slowly withered and decayed using magic and alchemy constructed 3 powerful objects each containing his power and a portion of his soul and used the objects to strengthen and rejuvenate his body, the King kept two of the objects in Egypt whilst leaving the third one in what would later be known as China.
One day the King whilst in his chamber was assassinated by a foreign spy, slowly the Kings body was dying and he was forced to ascend to Lichdom and with it the Kings power was no longer bounded by flesh and continued to grow, the King was forced into hiding alongside his loyal lichpriests waiting for the day when the Black Pyramid will raise from the sand and King Nagash will rule all over the world.