Settra
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Settra The Imperishable
Of all the kings of Nehekhara, none could match the splendour, cruelty and arrogance of Settra, first Priest King of Khemri. Under his inspired leadership and unparalleled ruthlessness, the many kings of Nehekhara were conquered and forced to pay tribute and acknowledge Khemri as the greatest city of the land. The tribes of the surrounding lands were conquered and the armies of Settra spread far and wide, enslaving all before them. His war fleets ravaged realms across the sea, bringing the terror of the Priest King to many distant lands. Settra was a vain and egotistical king, demanding tribute and adoration from all his subjects and, though he was a tyrannical ruler, Khemri entered an unprecedented golden age of prosperity under his rule.
Settra’s kingdom stretched across the land, but for all his conquests, he was unsatisfied, knowing that one day death would rob him of all he had accomplished. In his arrogance he vowed that the grave would not claim him and proclaimed that he would cheat death, setting his wisest and most powerful priests towards working on a means of preventing his passing.
The priests journeyed for many years throughout the world, searching for a means of keeping the great king from death, but to no avail. Great was Settra’s wrath and though the priests’ magic kept him alive far beyond his mortal span, they could not prevent his death. As he lay dying, the priests promised the great king that it would one day be possible for him to return from beyond the grave and live forever in a golden paradise where he would reign eternally. When the king died, it was with a curse on his lips and his body was taken to the great Pyramid of Khemri where he was entombed beneath the earth to await the appointed time for him to awaken.
But for the twisted ambition of the evil necromancer, Nagash, Settra’s plans might have come to fruition. As Nagash’s powerful spell coursed across the lands of Nehekhara, legions of warriors and kings from ancient times stirred and rose from their sepulchres. Where the ancient kings had been promised eternal life in a paradise where they would reign supreme, they instead awoke to find themselves clad in rotted vestments and desiccated flesh with their lands in ruins and kingdoms destroyed. The fires of pride and ambition still burned within their breasts and they set about reclaiming what remained of their kingdoms. Battles raged throughout Nehekhara until the great Pyramid of Khemri opened and Settra emerged into the blazing sunlight. Great was his fury at this disastrous reawakening and he set about reconquering his lost realm, overwhelming all those lesser kings who stood against him and forcing them to swear terrible oaths of fealty.
Having passed into the realm of death, Settra knew now that his priests had lied to him and kept much of their magic for themselves. His power was now far greater than theirs and he cast them from his lands, ordering his vassal kings to return to their tombs and await his call to arms. He would remain awake, king of a devastated land; ready to begin the reconquest of the empire that was once his. Immortality was now his, and the new races that had flourished in his absence would now feel his wrath.
