Nagash
From HammerWiki
Nagash the Great Necromancer was the first Necromancer, and was arguably one of the most powerful Magic users of all time. He caused the destruction of the civilization of Nehekhara and brought about the creation of the Undead, notably creating the first seven Vampires, and also unintentionally raised the Tomb Kings from their rest. He is himself a Liche able to command the undead.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
[edit] Origins
Nagash was born two thousand years before the time of Sigmar in the mighty civilization known as Nehekhara. His father was King Khetep of the 3rd Dynasty, ruler of Khemri and all Nehekhara. As a young man he joined the Mortuary Cult (a priesthood dedicated to the veneration of the dead and the magical prolonging of life) and became a leading figure in the cult. Nagash was ambitious, and despite rising to the rank of High Priest of Khemri, the cult's highest position, he coveted his father's throne.
It was only when a group of Dark Elf, whom had washed up on the shore of Nehekhara after a battle with the High Elves, and were brought to Khemri that his quest for immortality proved fruitful. One among their kind was a Sorceress, who revealed all her knowledge of Magic to Nagash. From her, he learned of the Realm of Chaos beyond the Chaos Wastes in the north and of the Winds of Magic, and how they could be channeled. Unlike the divine magic of the priests of Khemri, based on the intercession of gods, Nagash learned of magic that mortals could manipulate for themselves. He learned of Dhar and how it condensed over time into warpstone. When the sorceress outlived her usefulness, Nagash executed her companions, blinded her, removed her tongue and hands, and buried her alive within his father's pyramid. He then wandered the necropolis of Khemri with his new power, summoning Spirits and Daemons.
[edit] King of Khemri
After the death of their father, Nagash's brother King Thutep ascended the throne. One night Nagash slew his own brother, entombing him with their father. The next morning, his hands still covered with Thutep's blood, Nagash claimed the throne of Nehekhara without opposition. Nagash used his knowledge as the basis for a new branch of magic which he called Necromancy. This magic greatly extended his lifespan, although he did not succeed in preserving his physical body, and enabled him to reanimate the bodies of the dead.
Nagash ruled Khemri through fear, and forced countless slaves to labour for fifty years to raise a massive pyramid of black marble-- the "Black Pyramid of Nagash". Nagash penned his knowledge and findings within several tomes made of human flesh, bound with Dwarf hair and illuminated with human blood. These works became known as the Nine Books of Nagash or Liber Mortis ("Books of the Dead"). Others flocked to his promise of immortality and power, the most notable being Arkhan the Black, Nagash's lieutenant, as well as one third of the Priests.
However, the other Kings of the various Nehekharan cities were aghast at the reign of terror which Nagash had begun. The kings of seven other, lesser cities allied themselves behind Prince Lahmizzar of Lahmia, in order to remove Nagash from his throne; a powerful army was raised to march on the legions of Khemri. Using his necromantic powers, Nagash raised a horde of skeletons to destroy the attackers. In the death-obsessed culture of Nehekhara, this was recognized as the greatest of obscenities. Hundreds panicked, terrified by thoughts of battle versus the departed. Although many fled at the sight of the skeletal army, the forces of the other kings rallied and Nagash was ultimately defeated-- but not slain. Arkhan gave his life to protect his master; Nagash fled to the northeast to plot revenge.
It was agreed that all that Nagash had wrought during his reign should be destroyed, and great fires consumed much of Nagash's work; however, a part of it was secured by Neferata, Queen of Lahmia. The failure of the Nehekharan kings to destroy all of Nagash's tomes would come back to haunt his opponents.
[edit] The Great Necromancer
As he wandered in the desert, Nagash came to the point of death and emerged as a Liche, though of a kind removed from the Liche Priests of the Nehekhara. At Cripple Peak, he discovered a large deposit of Warpstone. The exposure to warpstone changed Nagash's physique into that of a monstrosity.
Within the mountain Nagash set his undead and the local tribesmen to build his fortress city Nagashizzar, and forged many of his treasures such as the Crown of Sorcery and the sword Mortis. Such a large amount of warpstone drew Skaven, who fought a war for control of Cripple Peak. The Skaven armies were vast, but Nagash's abilities were incredibly potent, and he raised hordes of undead to throw into war. Eventually Nagash proposed a truce with the Skaven: he would give them warpstone in return for them luring Greenskins into the Cursed Pit, to which the Skaven warily agreed.
Many centuries later in Nehekhara, study of the Books of Nagash by Queen Neferata brought about the creation of the Vampires in the city of Lahmia. When this was discovered by the current King Alcadizaar, he brought his forces against Lahmia to remove the taint of undeath. Despite the efforts of the vampires, the threat of Lahmia was crushed by Alcadizaar's huge army; the Queen fled to Nagashizzar with the six remaining Vampires. Nagash sent them back in command of a vast undead horde. However, he had underestimated his former countrymen. Alcadizaar was the greatest general of his age (the sixth dynasty) and he led the armies of Nehekhara against the undead. After many years of bloody war the hordes of Nagash were pushed back. The Vampire Masters decided to flee, with only W'soran, eager for more necromantic lore, remaining with Nagash. Nagash was furious and cursed all vampires to burn in the rays of the sun.
Nagash in his bitterness decided that if he couldn't rule Nehekhara then no-one could. He concluded that it was better to kill everything in the kingdom than to see it ruled by someone else. Nagash got his allies, the Skaven, to corrupt the River Vitae; it turned black, spreading pestilence throughout the populace. Alcadizaar was forced to watch first as those he loved, including his wife and children, died, and then to see his beloved kingdom crumble before him.
When Nagash's undead invaded, their ranks swollen by the deaths in Nehekhara, they were led by W'soran and Arkhan, who Nagash had resurrected as a Liche. The meek defenses put up to stop the invasion were easily thwarted and Alcadizaar himself was captured and thrown into a cell to be tortured.
[edit] The Great Ritual and Nagash's Defeat
It was now, with Alcadizaar imprisoned and Nehekhara conquered, that Nagash revealed the conclusion of his evil plans. He began to weave one of the most powerful spells ever attempted; at the pinnacle of its power Nagash unleashed a mighty wave of sorcery which washed over the land for hundreds of miles, causing everything that was living to decay and die, and all that was dead to rise again in an unholy parody of life; this was called the Great Ritual.
Nagash planned to use his necromantic powers to raise the entire population of Nehekhara as an unstoppable army which he would use to conquer the entire world. The Skaven Council of Thirteen, realizing the threat posed by Nagash, rushed into action a plan to destroy him. Infiltrating Nagashizzar, the hooded Skaven freed Alcadizaar from his captivity and gave him a blade made of pure Warpstone, the Fellblade.
Still weak from the exertion of casting his spell, Nagash was recovering when Alcadizaar stumbled into his throne room. Surprising Nagash, Alcadizaar cut off one of Nagash's hands. Stumbling back, Nagash unleashed deadly magics at Alcadizaar. The Council of Thirteen, watching the titanic battle unfold, joined their powers to protect Alcadizaar from Nagash's onslaught, though they were slowly being killed by Nagash's power as they did so. Flying into a rage, Alcadizaar flew at Nagash and hacked away until Nagash was left in pieces. Looking across the land at the destruction of his land and people, Alcadizaar despaired. He took Nagash's crown and stumbled to the River Mortis, slowly dying from the effects of being so close to Warpstone (in the form of the sword), and there, clutching the Crown, he died and his body floated into the Great Ocean until a young shaman named Kadon discovered it.
[edit] Return of the Necromancer
Nagash's spell caused the long-dead kings of Nehekhara to return to life. However, they retained their free will and were tended to by the Priests who had seemingly reached their prophesied immortality. Ironically, through Nagash's attempt to destroy the lands of Nehekhara, he had given them a cruel mockery of eternal life, creating the realms of the Tomb Kings. From then on, Nehekhara was known as the Land of the Dead.
Using the power of his Black Pyramid, Nagash was able to knit his body back together, piece by tiny piece. The next time he rose, 1,111 years later, he found the lands of Nehekhara defended by many jealous undead kings, their combined armies equal to anything he could muster. Nagash challenged the reigning High King, Settra. Settra and the other Kings, furious at what Nagash had done to them, chased him from the land. Returning to his fortress, Nagash found the Skaven had mined most of the warpstone away; in retaliation, one night he drove them all from Cripple Peak. The Skaven made many attempts at regaining the mountain, but having been defeated by Arkhan they decided that they had gathered enough warpstone, and left Cripple Peak for good.
Nagash, still weak from his death, realised that he needed his old magical artefacts to reassert his power, including his stolen Crown of Sorcery. He forged a replacement hand out of a warpstone alloy and led a great army into the nascent Empire to reclaim the crown, but was slain by Sigmar at the Battle of the River Reik, his skull smashed by Sigmar's hammer Ghal-Maraz.
According to Mannfred von Carstein, Nagash's defeat at the hands of Sigmar resulted in a curse being laid upon all vampires: for their refusal to come to his aid, they would forever be weak against the power of Sigmar. It has long been claimed that sufficient faith in any deity would be of aid against vampires, but it appears that the Sigmarite faith now has additional potency against the undead.
[edit] Modern Times
Nagash once again returned to life, 1,666 years after his death at the hands of Sigmar, in the night known as the Night of the Restless Dead. It is thought he is again re-building his power. Though only a fraction of his former self, he is still one of the most powerful beings in the Warhammer World, and is worshipped by some as the god of Undeath.
Nagash bides his time until he can once more take on the world. It is believed that he is currently enacting his will through others, particularly Lichmaster Heinrich Kemmler and his henchman Krell, and even Mannfred von Carstein, who had a talisman of Nehekharan origin that Nagash used previously to maintain complete control over the undead-- the Eye of Khemri.
