The Sand Wraith was the "doppelgänger" of the Prince and the Maharajah in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.[1]
Official Description[]
Official Strategy Guide[]
- "Little is known about this mysterious figure. Some say it's an artifact of time travel spawned when two instances of the same person occupied the same time period. Others believe it's an ally of the Dahaka, aiming to assist the creature in his time-controlling duties. Regardless of what drives it, the Sandwraith is incredibly powerful and its dark intelligence adds to its overall mystery."
- —Official Booklet Description[2]
Instructional Manual[]
- "The Sandwraith is not so much an individual as it is an expression of an individual. An ancient artifact known as the “Mask of the Wraith” will turn anyone who wears it into a Sandwraith: a doppelganger that allows the same person to occupy two spaces in the same Timeline. Legend says that when the Maharajah of India sought to gain the Sands of Time, he was forced to use this artifact to ensure his success, though what happened to the Mask since then has been lost to time."
- —Instructional Manual[3]
Biography[]
Early Life[]
During the Maharajah's journey to the Island of Time, he and several of his men were faced with death at the hands of the island's inhabitants or traps. At least one of men, supposedly the Maharajah himself, managed to reach the Hourglass of Time, but was killed by what appeared to be a Keeper.[1]
A version of his past self happened upon the Mask of the Wraith and used it not to save himself, but to kill the the Sand Creature that attacked and killed him. With his assailants defeated, he inscribed the events that transpired in memory of his men and left with the Hourglass and other Artifacts of Time.
Warrior Within[]
First Encounter[]
The Prince encounters the Sand Wraith just as he enters the Sacrificial Altar, and for the first two-thirds of the Prince's journey, its nature is shrouded in mystery. It even appears to be hostile toward the Prince, throwing an axe at him, which he only narrowly avoided. It is later revealed that it actually saved the Prince from being killed by an Bladedancer.
The Prince spots the Sand Wraith again during his journey through the Mechanical Tower.
Just prior to his confrontation with the Empress of Time, the Prince witnesses the apparent demise of the Wraith at the hands of the Dahaka, then proceeds to the Throne Room.[1]
Realization[]
Following his first and failed attempt to prevent the creation of the Sands of Time in the past, the Prince finds himself again on the run from the Dahaka in the present. Evading the creature, the despondent Prince finds himself in a vast crypt. Realizing the cruel irony of his situation, he brushes his hand over a wall covered with ancient inscriptions.[1]
The inscriptions tell the story of the Maharajah, his army and the raid for the Artifacts of Time. While the raid appears to succeed, the Maharajah himself died, but through an artifact called the Mask of the Wraith, rewrote his fate and escaped death.[1]
The Prince hunts down the Mask and puts it on. He becomes the Sand Wraith, a creature able to shift time by existing in same timeline as his past self. The Wraith sets out to stop his past self from killing the Empress. When he reaches the Prince at last, it is at the point where the Wraith was originally killed by the Dahaka.[1]
To prevent his second failure, the Prince ensures that the Dahaka kills his other self so he will be the one to proceed and face Kaileena. The Dahaka, apparently satisfied, leaves. The mask loosens and the Prince returns to normal and continues his journey to change the expected events in the battle against the Empress of Time.[1]
Trivia[]
- In-game, the Sand Wraith's name is spelled "Sand Wraith", but both the instructional manual and official strategy guide spells it as "Sandwraith".[3]
- The game's manual makes reference to the Maharajah himself using the Mask to retrieve the Sands, and is depicted in the ancient inscriptions found in the crypt.
- Oddly, the ancient inscriptions hint that there might have been at least one more of Maharaja's men involved in getting to the mask.
- The Sandwraith also appears in Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands as an alternate character skin.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
- ↑ Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Official Guide, page 17-18
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Instructional Manual, page 6
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