The Star-travelers
The land of Nehekhara has seen many changes and wonders over the centuries of it's existence. I know that to the preening Asur of Ulthuan and the ancient Dawi this seems like a mere eyeblink, but it not the number of years lived that creates greatness. It is what someone has learned, hardships endured and triumphs achieved that forge legends.
Nehekhara was born from the dreams and ambition of Settra the Imperishable, Emperor Of The Shifting Sands. It was he who convinced the gods to purge sickness and hunger from the land, forged the quarreling tribes and cities into a mighty empire and left a legacy that would last for all time. Even after his death Nehekhara held to his vision, ever growing, improving, strengthening.
Until Nagash.
Nagash the Monstrous. Nagash the Corrupter. Nagash the Ruin of Nehekhara. As ruler he cared not for the people of the land at all, bleeding them dry to fuel his own mad ambitions. It was only through the actions of the lords of Nehekhara rising up to slay the mad Pharaoh that Settra the Imperishable's legacy was saved.
However even death was not enough to stop the Defiler's mad ambitions. He returned as a sick parody of life intent of slaying all of Nehekhara for he had decided that if a living Kingdom would not bow to him, than a kingdom of the dead would. He tore the honored dead from their tombs, snaring their souls with foul magics and set them upon their kinsmen and descendants. But this once again failed due to the skill and cunning of Alcadizaar the Conqueror. Nagash's unholy armies were put down and servants driven from Nehekhara.
Then as his armies and magic had failed against the people of Nehekhara, Nagash instead turned on the land itself. Though foul deeds and sorcery he twisted the great Vitae river, the very heart and soul of the realm from a bringer of life to one of death.
The Vitae turned red as blood, crops withered in the fields, cattle fell decaying from the inside out. And with them the people of the land withered and died. Slaves, commoners, scribes, nobility, the house of Pharaoh himself, it did not matter. The death of Vitae meant the death of all of Nehekhara.
The people wept, they despaired, they cried to the gods for salvation, a cure, anything to save the Kingdom from it's end. But the gods could not for their strength to Nehekhara and as it died, so did they. They could not undo what had been done but they could bring a single spark of hope to the people.
A great star fell in the desert and in it's wake was a wondrous city of crystal stone and metal. It was the home of the Star-travelers, the Draenei, our saviors.
In our weakened state, wielding magics and science that were beyond anything we had seen, they could have conquered us easily. Wipe us from existence and claim Nehekhara as a new home-land, and yet they did not. Their healers came forth and purged Nagash's venom from our bodies, their scholars built machines of magic and science to cleanse water from the Vitae so that our people could drink and live again.
I remember my mother and father weeping tears of joy as they lifted my new-born sister to gaze upon the radiance of Ptra for the first time. Before we had thought little Isis would die inside Akila's womb along with her. Truly the Draenei were god-sent miracles.
They gave so much and when Alcadizaar asked what they wished in return their leader, the prophet Velen said "Nothing". For them, it was simply the right thing to do.
So let Nagash sit atop his twisted throne of death, raging helplessly at the site of a living Nehekhara and their saviors. Let the Asur sneer at the Draenei's appearance while in secret they try and fail to copy their wonders of science and magic. Let the barbarians of the north scream and cry that we are nothing but Daemon slaves and worshipers.
We know the truth and will remember for all time. And when the foul Burning Legion that has hounded the Draenei across time and space arrive to corner their prey, they will find us standing beside them ready to drive the beasts back into the Abyss they spawned from.
From the memoirs of Asar, second-born son of Pharaoh Alcadizaar the Conqueror.
Founder and leader of the Nehekharan Paladin order, Ptra's fury.
Word count: 744