The Rise and Fall of Nekros: The Lord of the Rotting Darkness

Damasen, Talk-Fabulist of the Lorist Union 

Most of our race is honorable and benevolent, but there have been a few Echmer throughout history that has been truly monstrous individuals that has plotted to destroy our society. The most recent and probably the most unnerving of these mer is Nekros – the Ravisher of Souls, 'Lord of the Rotting Darkness, Wraith Outside The Shadow.

Asklepios was born in Sect Os, a well-respected Echmeri familial clan in the Urb of Oexra’numsaz. It was clear from a very young age that he would grow up to do great things, due to his family members noting he was always filled with an intense curiosity to learn. As a child he was greatly interested in both alchemy and anatomy, and he was brought to the full attention of the Echmer race when he totally debunked and reformed the Herbarium of the Neglectful Acceptance when he was only fourteen years of age. This act secured him a position of authority in the Penta Ward once he finished his ten years in the Institution.

At the young age of eighteen and a full adult under the Council, Asklepios furthered his interests in anatomy and physiology. He began to conduct independent trials on the wildlife of the Dweech, dissecting them to analyze the ways the body functioned, especially regarding magicka and the soul. At first, many praised him for his daring and initiative. However, his colleagues soon grew uneasy when they discovered that he was communing with the ATEDA known as REVE-WUM (Mannimarco), MOBAL (Molag Bal), and the IDE-MAS (Ideal Masters) of the Outer Realm known as the Soul Cairn. These spirits were known for their heavy disregard for mortals, and were currently banned for communing by the Council. Because of this, the High Hypothesian and the Prime Thesite scheduled a visit to the Domicile of Sect Os to interrogate the young mer.

But upon entering the building the two discovered to their utter terror that every single member of Sect Os – ranging from newborn infants to the elderly – had been brutally murdered. On the far wall Asklepios had left a chilling message in their blood:

ASKLEPIOS IS DEAD, AS IS HIS BLOODLINE. HE IS NOW NEKROS, AND HE IS DEAD TOO. BUT HE WILL RETURN, AND HE WILL BRING DEATH TO ALL. BE READY.

After this ghastly note had been read the deceased bodies of Os suddenly reawakened to attack the High Hypothesian and the Prime Thesite, uttering pained cries of ‘The Lord of the Rotting Darkness seeks your soul to feed upon it!’ and ‘Death is no escape!’ The corpses were forced to be destroyed upon the banishment of the Lesser ATEDA within their bodies. The Council of Dull Chimes was immediately notified of this, and the entirety of Yneslea was placed on alert. Nekros had dabbled in necromancy, the most hated of the arcane arts, and had to be put to death. The servicemer scoured the eight islands for the necromancer, but he could not be found. Months went by without word of his location, and our people was put on edge.

Soon many young mer began to disappear into the Dweech never to be seen again. In their place would be  a bloody skull, which became known as the ‘sigil’ of the Lord of the Rotting Darkness. Patrols of skeletons and abominations began to maul search parties, breaking through cavern walls to kill them. Seemingly ordinary citizens would suddenly summon these creatures in the Urbs, and those that were captured revealed themselves to be acolytes of the ‘Ravisher of Souls’ before execution, revealing his sigil as they began to incoherently babble. The Council of Dull Chimes immediately began to impose body searches for the bloody skull, leading to outright terror. In the first time in ages the Exul descended down into the Dweech for protection in the Urbs; some of their villages had been razed by Nekros and their family members taken away into the night.

I will admit this, even if someone else wont: Nekros had instilled fear into the hearts of every Echmer. We, as a race, was terrified by a single mer.

And it was in our confusion that he struck from the depths of the Dweech. With an army of acolytes, undead beasts, bound spirits, and flesh atronachs he attacked the Urb of Oexra’numsaz. The Shattering Fusion amassed the Echmer army and the fighting began. Nekros and his ilk fought ferociously, committing all of their strength to the capture of the Urb. When it almost seemed like the necromancer was going to be victorious, the Hidden Perception devised a brilliant plan. As soon as the citizens were evacuated from Oexra’numsaz, oil was flooded throughout the city and lit on fire. Nekros’s army was burned to smoldering ashes, and the necromancer himself fell ablaze into a chasm that led deeper into the Dweech. After a ten-day siege, the battle was over. The Council had emerged victorious.

However, some are not so sure of Nekros’s demise. According to one of his surviving cultists, the Echmer had successfully found a way to make himself undead and was simply awaiting the next chance to destroy us all for good. Some scholars speculate that he was taken away to one of the ATEDA’s realms like the Soul Cairn to recuperate from his injuries. And others believe that he plots somewhere deep down below us, in a place where we can’t reach him, trapped in the darkest darkness unable to die.

It does not matter if any of these theories are true or not, for one thing remains certain: Nekros was one of the most deadly enemies our kind has ever had to face, and we must hope he never rises again.