_ Space McQuitk takes a look at the mighty cities of | Nehickhara, once the greatest Civilisation of Mankiad and ‘now the desolate realm of the Tomb Kings. © ver i thousand yous Pelore the corning oF Signs there. ice Hive x avilisatign of "ren whose power and knowledue es ‘ever heen matched in the millennia singe fen tay the presen Mankind such ay the Fen “ Bretonnia, gale in comparison to the ‘nice migny realm of Nebethac Few Gh atuly knows bow: oF wh the rides ‘ae tele in these harsh lands Study of their most ancient \) ieioslyphs stiggest thar they were led ‘by servanis af the gods, who broke fice front alife of servitude, sexing xs fecemen in dhe bot dry binds where ihele captors were reluctant 10 follow. “The cariy wars kings conquered the surrounding tribes, driving back the Greensking tore The lands trom the Nestem descr fo the eastern Sot At the height of sbeie power they bad Yvingished Sis 3s fr nara as shat {yas to bevotne the Btinpirw: aud as Bic” soit asthe. Hsigles of dhe Souitlanes. Ik way ony ith the, Sobiing Of a auighity aid powerful Kid. hat thy wis dehigvable. Metare the © commg of Settra, the lh known a5 Nehelthara was divided Tt was splic Jit many separate kingdoms, exch ‘built acound a geeat cy. Wars were ‘common 6 the Kings sought to expand thelr realms femtle lands fons theie neiwhbours ‘he fio of Sere ates ound) is eet easca cupehers be frie encgh so sy tte united the Kingdoms ol Nehekliara. Under the file of Serta each king sas required o-pay fabute jo the King of Khem Most iniule took the form of gol, semis oz slaves and Khems Became the ‘eenise ol power During the course of Nilichdsaeas long history many of the anid kings om orher cities would prove to be more plonous, 0: sSenlifiice than the kings of Khem, yet the tee power of the Inad was always ound within the palace of Kher WILL OF THE GODS. ithe kiigs-oF Neliekhiica wefe s€en as the living Fecepuacle through which the will of theGods way made kuown, None dared challenge thelr will and they riled swith absolute aurhorin: Second oaly'to these huless Were the thigh priests. Oilen The ule power of atch city Was held within the hands of these dedicated servis pF the gods tru, most Kings were content fo Jeave affairs of government v6 theit high priest whilst they took command of the armies to wage glosions war ‘again rival rulers. was the duty of ‘each high priest 10 ensure that the _gouls were recognised ahd worshipped in accoedance to theie staruy. This meant constfucting temples 20 ining. the stect worship of eich il The peigsts would see to ie thar {heir gods were appeased with ghits 50 that the kingdom may be blessed with high ferulity Ora good trarvest ‘Tradieionally che Grsiborn son would be granted accession 16 the throne but political inttigue within the pafsce was fife and many princes would fall vicuin ro the day-to-day bickstabbiog ind corruption of palace life. Many princes ‘wore encouraged 6 join tbe demy ane they would ride to war atthe fore of the rfoops, mounted io inagaificent ‘chariots and seeking glosy in the eves oftheir king ‘Box those not boca sto nobility, le ‘was hard in the citics of Nehelshara Most people would work in the fields wunder the glaring beat of the fierce “Sti, Teas-a simple life hucone of ‘ Bard toil. Even the freemen of the Haqadoni would be expecicd 16 Serve sa cestiia amonnc of time each ‘year aiding in the construction of theings pyramid. IFthey were sich enough they were able wo send their “slaves in rbcir steal Bach Kise would hose the focition of his tomb at an ally ge and then wrk would begin ‘Ahousande Of saves woold roll from - dask wnt davon, shifting the huge Iblocks ofsandstone from the quarries 40 the location ofthe tomb. Petty ars between the kangdoms were ‘common but the kas would also seck {6 prove ticieglocy by conquest of the nomad eibes, or Careedsiins that dweh ‘within the mountains AS thole amis Fetuened victoeions they would often bring back captives. These prisoners ‘would be sent @yvork on the pyramids and it was common to fee Ores, Trolls and ares amongst other ‘sitanige beasts aiding im the © “constriction of tombs: Gtants were ‘particularly favoured! by th slavemiasters and were treated with ‘Beat respeat. They were able to lift the heaviest of stones with case andl ‘perform tasks thic were impossible for the other slaves, The Giants were given the choicest provisions and kept in a life of usury. When one of these towering mortals died their remains were interred with great ceremony. ‘the longer the lifespan of the more piosperous his reign, the ‘miore resourtes he was able 10 dedicite towards the construction of his tomb, Bach king could be judged Ihy the magnificence of his resting: pplace, and those who had 4 particularly glorious reign woulé line the Foute to their tomb with marble pillars and golden statues of the gods LOYAL SERVANTS When a king died. bis people would begin a week of great mourns, uring this time the king's body. would be embalmed and his personal ‘wealth and treastires gathered. The king's mist loyal servants would pay king, and their respects 10 the dead king and, drink from his chalice in order that they might accompany him into the afterlife. The chalice contained a potent polson that would kill these favoured companions instantly. To die in such a imanncr was seen asa privilege is it would mean they too Syould be granted immortality; On the “final day of mourning a huge ‘procession would follow the kit’ sarcophagus 0 the pyramid. The bi priests would then hegin the solemn urial staal, The king's guard would accompany theie lord into the ‘pyramid and as the final words of the imal were chanted, the doors to the ‘éypt were sealed: Custonns varied as to the manner: in which the ‘warriors would join thelr king in the afterlife: Some sould drink from small vial containing Naseef quickly tucked the gold necklace in the folds of bis robes, tmfortunately bis slight of hand bad not gone unseen. ‘Stop thie?” the stall owner shouted, reaching out a thick bairy band to grab the small street urchin. Naseef was already gone though, snaking his way full sprint dbrough the busy crowds. The market place was beaving with people and Naseef hoped to lose bimself within the throng, Unfortunately for Nas of a number of guards were patrolling the area. Spoiting the youth, they immediately gave chase, Naseef ntmbl) weaved through the crowds, ducking under ¢t tall white robed individual who dleftly balanced a buge terracotta jug on bis bead. Bebind the fleeing youth the sound of crashing pottery sounded as the burly guards collided into the unjortunate water seller. The smell of roasted locust wafted through the air and tbe cries of the stallbolders, selling ivory and spices, vanished belind Naseef as be sprinted up the steep steps of a temple. Witbin the magnificent structure the priests, bedecked in ornate gold trappings inlald with jewels, ritually burned incense to appease thelr gods. For a moment Naseef was tempted to grab one of the gold statuettes, but to incur the wrath of the heavens was too much even for this desperate thief He tore out from the temple and carried on down the labyrinth of narrow lanes ‘These standy streets were the homes of the bundreds of citizens of Mabra. For the most part they were emply during the day, the occupants busy working tbe land or akding in the construction of the great pyramids. Come nighsfull they would bustle with life as the drinking dens and smoking bouses opened and the workers wound down from the day's hard toil. Naseef, continuing bis fight, looked over bis shoulder ‘The guards were nowhere to be soen, He smiled and slowed bis pace, but in risking a glance bebind bin he bad failed to see the buge guard emerging from a side street, until it = was Jar too late. Naseaf collided with the warrior clad in gold armour, The small thief fell to the floor cand the necklace fell from bis robes. Picking Naseef up roughly tbe guard held the struggling youth with an iron grip. Naseef clutched the bandaged siump that bad once been bis left hand. The laws of Nebekbara were strict, only bis age bad sewed bim from losing bis head. Now bis bopes of one day joining the elite ranks of the king's guard were just shattered dreams. The shackles around bis legs dragged beau tn the sand, and with bis remaining hand be grasped bold of a long length of rope. A whip ‘racked loudly overbead and, along with two dazen fellow slaves, Naseef pulled the huge block lof stone closer 10 the king's pyramid.Mb’kasda looked down from the city walls at the dust cloud that signalled the advance of the nomad army. Fvery decade it seemed these tribes united and raided the towns and cities of Nebekbara. Over the centuries Bhagar bad © = become accustomed to such raids. These nomadic barbarians had never once © managed to breach the city's defences and Mb’kasda was not about to shame his family name by being the first royal guard to allow such an attack (0 succeed. As the mounted horde reached the city's perimeter, Mb kasda could clearly bear the high pitched bollers that served as their war ery. It reminded the layal warrior of just bow barbaric these black garbed soutern tribesmen could be. | As soon as the enemy came within range, Mb'kasda signalled for the archers ) lined on the wall to fire. Their gold armour gleamed resplendent tn the bright rays of the sun as they raised their bows, With disciplined syncbrontcity they pulled back the bow strings and, as one, unleashed a storm of arrows into the skies. Dozens of the nomads fell as the arrows found their mark, followed hy more casualties moments later, as a second volley of arrows struck home, Ata second signal the captain ordered the city gates to open, Marching out in tightly formed ranks the cavalry emerged. Separating into two groups the first, armed with spears and bright turquoise shields, lowered their weapons and | charged into the rapidly approaching tribesmen, The poorly armed nomads stood little chance as the highly trained soldiers smashed into their force. Within moments the tribesmon’s attack faltered before breaking, and as the nomads fled from the battle, the second formation of cavalry surrounded | them. With deadly accuracy the mounted archers shot the invaders from thetr steeds, leaving only a bandful of survivors Within the hour the nomad tribes bad scattered, leaving their injured to pertsh | inthe harsh rays of the desert sun amongst the bodtes of their dead kinsmen, © Already the massive vultures of the Nebekbaran desert elreled in a downward spiral from high in the clear blue skies. Come the morning the scorpions and sucarms of insects would strip the bones of what little the vultures left. The desert sands would soon leave no trace of the dead, and the city would continue as normal, without the threat of invasion. Mbrkasda turned around to face the palace, raising bis weapon in salute at the king. Bedecked in bis golden armour truly befitting his high status, the king raised bis sceptre in recognition of Mb’kasda's victory 7A CITIES OF THE KINGS.Ase aor ne Ge shalice Gen a | scoakd be burned alive in great “chanibers that would &fl swith sand. In "this ntanings eich king would be “entombed ‘ins nes the afterlife Size: Eventaally many of these eifies Of the dead dwarfed the orginal cities Size The wealth contained waihin there secropolises must have been immense, but even in times of great eas the faith ofthe peoplesof Nehickhars that they never SouaBi seal from the tombs, do 4 concept beyond theté beliefs, dating great wats wheo fd each aher's towns the eee Teli to est in peace: These cat one diy they. 207 rage seb actions would be ght thei, mati sects ‘ance gems thar were the mountains, Brom. the ge junwles, trade Carwans way inerge with all maaner of jewels and Gudlandlish fret charms arid {rinkéts, Ancient hieroglyphs seem to suiguest that these kings bargained ‘ith numerous other civilisations, including the Flven folk and even a steange rice of lizard creatan THE WHITE PALACE The ity of Quatas, known as the White Palace, was renowned 2s being. ‘highly feligious place. Such was the fervour of worship here, the priests ‘ordered images of she gods carved s Of the canyon ttsel ait statues, towering over five hundred feet highs” were guardians of the chy. The great temple, made entirely ftom white rarble quarried from the surounding. ‘mOUNLIINS, was home to more plies ‘than in all of the other cities the entrance 10 and before tothe geihe a to this iat tf they ached oie et spring ‘the heart ofthe élty then their ailment would be cured. Mahral was” the last of the cisies to bow down to “Settea's mule. Even acthe height of | Neliekbiara's power the cftes t6 the ‘east retained a fierce independent + sireak, The nilersof Lahmnia and’. ‘Mahrak would often openly ‘oppose the commands of the kings of Khemri, refusing 10 pay fetbute a enging war datos other Bingdoms. Yer Kemet also. suit a ally tihelp them on asseen asthe | noble |e cane) wre ipl chemri matched heir seeking to impose their fesolation of Nayash, The Great Nectontancer fed wracked the land, and in sks the entire sition hud been destroyed, For ny centtiies the cigs of farvremained unishabited Fins. Many ace buried heneath the dunes and surface only occasionally hefore being reclaimed by the sands The rest Of these ruins renal tuninbabited monuments (0 2 long forgotten era. Only the scorpions and beetles now dwell within the once ‘great cities. Travellers still make: their way to these desolate houses of the dexd. They come in search of she weasures that be hidden by the sands, locked deep within the Fuins of the tombs. ‘Yet these expeditions are not for He faint hearied. Bvea should the brave treasure hunter survive the harsh barren deserts, they must face dhe terrors chat dwell within the eities of the dead. Nagash’s spell awoke the kings feom their sleep of death, and aw they Seatel over theis former ‘ingdois in sleepless vigil: Few svho yenture Jord int search of their fortunes feurrn, and of those whe, dio; most have been driven insane by the macabre harcors they witnessed ihe kings protect their wealth merino, their tombs to bade ‘alos chose who would steal or undo thir gloty. Somo-wrvellers speak ot armies of skeletal warriors waging war against exh thet The Kings sll eck {6 prove who ely has the power and fight fo rule the mined cities Ie is sla dacieneffeeis tl patrol che waiers of ine Great Ocean, and without the need for food or water they have the tility isis at will anywhere on the face ‘of the world. Some have eaimed that these dea! kings have emerged front burial mounds within dhe heart OF the mise, and ie not unlikely or when Nehekharaiwas ar the zenith of tts Dover its cities ae spread across the fase she would, ho knoss whi Gerson wil emerge fiom the Hundreds “ot ronihsseattored denon the wold?