Queen Nepherimas and the fall of Whitestone

Nepherimas is presented as a central figure in the human kingdom’s collapse into undead rule. During the Thousand Years of War, Whitestone, capital of the First Kingdom, has already endured repeated dynastic upheaval, while human faith in the gods of order is described as badly shaken.

Princess Nepherimas, the only child of King Niam and Queen Elenia and heir to the throne, is depicted as unusually gifted in magic. Seeking escape from the human condition of short life and the soul’s dependence on a mortal vessel, she turns to dark arts and makes a pact with Darthul, the god of squalor.

Pact with Darthul and undeath

Nepherimas is promised a form of redemption through preserving the soul by preserving the vessel. This requires passing through the death gates, an act described as the gravest sin. After becoming undead, she understands that she and others like her cannot return openly to Whitestone, where they would be condemned as damned.

Instead, she leads her undead followers deeper into the woods to found a new realm. Despite this separation, she does not abandon her claim to Whitestone’s crown.

Return to the capital

To reclaim power, Nepherimas acquires an ancient amulet from infernal demons, paying in gold and living slaves. The amulet allows her to appear human again. With this disguise, she returns to Whitestone and appears at her father’s deathbed.

Her return is welcomed by the population, who celebrate the apparent reappearance of the lost heiress. Suspicion comes chiefly from her cousin, Lord Vaennuin Stonehill, who questions the timing of the queen’s return.

Seizure of power and destruction of Whitestone

After securing authority, Nepherimas moves against potential opposition. She sends Vaennuin to the fortress of Iron Fern, apparently expecting that he will not survive the campaign in the Burning Fringe. Iron Fern is then besieged by infernal demons, while Whitestone is left without a meaningful fighting force.

On the same day, Nepherimas admits the undead into the capital. Revivalist brigades search the streets for humans and forcibly convert them into undead. The event is framed as a genocide against the remaining human population.

Vaennuin’s return and the human retreat

News of the slaughter reaches Vaennuin Stonehill, who rides back to Whitestone with extreme urgency. Although Iron Fern is doomed, he reaches the capital in time to save the last surviving humans. He and his forces fight the undead toward the high mountain and succeed in closing Andal's Gate forever (caption unclear).

The surviving humans become refugees, unable to reclaim their home. Nepherimas’s rule marks the beginning of an undead reign. Whitestone is renamed Gravestone, and its formerly fertile lands are said to decay into dead swamps.

Aftermath

Nepherimas’s triumph is not complete. Her satisfaction is described as short-lived because Iron Fern has fallen into the hands of the infernal demons (caption unclear). The tale therefore links the rise of the undead kingdom not only to Nepherimas’s ambition, but also to a broader collapse of the human realm during wartime.

Source

• Recording: Nepherimas & The Shapeshifter | Tales of Aragon | Scars of Honor
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• Published: Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at 1:54 PM UTC