Nehekhara
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| Main Leaders | Tomb King Settra the Imperishable |
| Secondary Leaders | Liche Priests |
| Capital | Khemri |
| Major Races | Undead Humans (formerly) |
| Languages | Nehekharan |
| Type | Monarchy |
| State Religions | Mortuary Cult Nehekharan pantheon |
| Location | Land of the Dead |
| Constituents | City-States |
| Vassals | Tomb Kings |
Nehekhara was an ancient empire and the site of the first human civilisation. Originally called The Great Land it is now known as the Land of the Dead, and is the desert empire of the Tomb Kings under Settra the Imperishable. [6]
It is located far to the south of the Old World, beyond the Goblinoid-infested Badlands. It borders Araby to the west and the Southlands to the south.
The boundaries of Nehekhara are delineated by black towers.
Contents
Cities
There are many cities in Nehekhara, almost all of which are now devoid of all life. Some of these include:
- West of the Worlds Edge Mountains
- East of the Worlds Edge Mountains
There is also a colony of the the Empire far to the south, a trading port on the Gulf of Medes named El-Kalabad, a city of Elf ruins just beyond the border, and it is rumoured that the lost Dwarf keep of Karak Zorn lies south of Nehekhara.
Dangers
As well as the undead, the land itself is a hostile realm, the Great Mortis River is now poisonous whilst sandstorms and whirlwinds consume the living, some filled with flesh-eating beetles and ravenous desert insects. Plains of bones can come to life to clasp and drag travelers beneath them whilst the few remaining oases are tainted with bubbling pools of blood rather than life giving water. [1b]
Flora, Fauna and Inhabitants
The undead outnumber the living in Nehekhara many times over. It is a desert land where harsh storms batter the people and damage the buildings. Life is hard, but in some places, where the desert recedes, life can be pleasant. The Great Mortis River flows through the land, allowing a good deal of trade to pass down it to the interior.
Undead insects abound, some as large as a sphinx whilst the sky is often filled with Carrion. There are countless ghosts and Elementals that haunt its desolation, attracted to the dark tombs and mortuary temples and whose cries echo across the desert. [1b]
Parched malevolent trees can be found in oases, devouring the living to take their moisture. Sand Sharks prowl beneath the surface of the great dune seas and monsters such as Cockatrices and Manticores stalk the desert. Even a few Dragons have made their home here. [1b]
Bandits and Tomb Raiders seek treasure and Orc tribes enter in search of both battle and plunder. [1b] Few survive and most are killed by the legions of the Tomb Kings. [7]
History
Legend states the the people made a great Pilgrimage from the East, with Ptra leading them to the River Vitae where Geheb sowed the earth with crops so that they would grow strong and healthy. Tahoth showed them the secrets to building with stone and creating pyramids before Asaph arose from the reeds to give them the wonders of civilisation. [3a]
A great civilisation arose here about 2500 years before the birth of Sigmar building roads and cities from white stone and marble - the greatest of these ancient cities was Khemri. The Empire expanded, ruling of what would become Araby and into both the Darklands and the Southlands. [1a][7]
The rival kings clashed with each other and the Dragons that stalked its eastern mountains - some of the mighty beasts were slain, but others were bound to the will of the monarchs. [4][7]
Like many empires, it fell prey to internal strife and civil war but eventually a proud, cruel and arrogant king arose in Khemri, dominating all the others and becoming the first Priest-King. Settra the Imperishable vowed to restore the the lands to its former glory. Unwilling to allow death to restrict him, he formed the Mortuary Cult to provide him with immortality but they failed him. [1a][7]
Slowly the land became obsessed with immortality and death, worshiping Djaf, God of the Dead and Usirian,god of the Underworld as much as Ptra, their divine ruler. Nehekhara would fall and rise again thanks to the first born son of King Khetep of Khemri, Nagash the Ursurper. He would murder his brother and raise the dead until he was defeated by an alliance of the other cities. [1a][7]
A few centuries later Nagash would return at the head of an undead host only to be defeated completely by the great king Alcadizaar, yet still he had not finished with his homeland. He enacted a Great Ritual that poisoned the Great Vitae River, laid waste to the living creatures of Nehekhara and took Alcadizaar as his prisoner. It was only through the intervention of the Skaven that the world was saved, arming his captive with a powerful blade and protecting him from the malign sorceries of the Great Necromancer as he hacked him apart. [1a][7]
Although he was once again destroyed, Nagash's magic had awakened all the ancient kings and queens who quickly went to war with each other to establish dominance. Only when King Settra himself was awakened was order established once more. Now the Land of the Dead, many Tomb Kings returned to their rest, but some, like Settra looked to restore their ancient empire..... [1a][7]
Forces of the Tomb Kings
When the Tomb Kings advance to war, they do so with vast legions at their command, a breathtaking sight of gleaming bone, gold and bronze. The Undead warriors stride unfaltering across the searing desert and through howling sandstorms as they close in on their foes. Vast phalanxes of skeletal soldiers advance towards their terrified enemies in relentless unison, fighting with a supernatural discipline that no mortal man can hope to match. Slowly but implacably, the legions of the Undead drive their foes before them, guided as always by the unyielding will of their Tomb King. There are some necromantic spells that reanimate long-dead corpses, creating Undead automatons that serve the necromancer in a mindless fashion. Such is not the way of the Tomb Kings' soldiers; each Skeleton in the numberless legions is inhabited by the soul of an ancient Nehekharan warrior.
Landmarks
There are various landmarks within Nehekhara, including:
- The Charnel Valley (formerly the "Valley of the Kings")
- The Fortress of Vorag
- The Oasis of a Thousand and One Camels
- The Pools of Despair
- The Black Pyramid of Nagash
- The Springs of Eternal Life
- The Crater of the Walking Dead
- The Devils Backbone Mountains
- The Marshes of Madness (formerly the "Sinking Marshes of Khernarch")
People of Nehekhara
The humans that inhabited the land lived much longer than other humans, not being considered a full adult until they were fifty and most lived to see one hundred and fifty years and some much longer.[2a]
Notable Tomb Kings
- Amenemhetum
- Khalida, High Queen of Lybaras
- Phar, King of Mahrak
- Sehenesmet, Vizier of Quatar
- Settra, Great King of Nehekhara
- Tutankhanut, Prince of Numas
See also
Gallery
Map of Ancient Nehekhara
Map of current Nehekhara today, older edition
.jpg)
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (8th Edition)
- 2: Rise of Nagash (anthology)
- 2a: Introduction, pg. 12
- 3: Rise of Nagash (anthology) by Mike Lee
- 3a: Chapter Two: Second Sons, pg. 35
- 4: Warhammer Community
- 5: Ravening Hordes (TOW), Desolate Realms, pg. 7
- 6: Warhammer: The Old World Rulebook, The Rise of Men, pgs 33-38
