Ibis begins his life as Amentep, a prince of ancient Egypt who was in love with the beautiful Princess Taia of Thebes. As a young man, Amentep is given the "Ibistick", a talisman of incredible power, by the Egyptian god Thoth, who empowers the talisman after Ibis was overthrown. Amentep's throne is eventually usurped – with the aid of a demonic army conjured up by the evil god Set – by a cruel magician known as the Black Pharaoh. When Taia, who is under the protection of Osiris, refuses to marry him, the Black Pharaoh shoots her with a poisoned arrow. Using his Ibistick, Amentep places his beloved in suspended animation to allow her to heal. He casts a similar spell upon himself, hoping to be present when Taia revives.