Ikselam/Pharaoh
Contents
The Pharaoh Who Dreams of Unbroken Silence
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Background
As recently as five years ago, the minions of the Deathlord known as the Pharaoh Who Dreams of Unbroken Silence terrorized the South, harassing trade lanes and laying waste to outlying settlements. Shortly before the Empress' disappearance, a joint Realm-Chiaroscuran task force was assembled to combat the threat, but it failed to locate the Deathlord's hidden base and was almost completely wiped out by the trio of deathknights collectively known as the Black Triumvirate. No sooner had the survivors straggled home, though, than all traces of the Pharaoh and his followers vanished completely. Rumors began circulating that the skilled Immaculate monk Cathak Sejerev, presumed killed by the deathknights, had actually somehow escaped and put an end to the Pharaoh, but few believed it -- the sudden silence was much more ominous than comforting.
Just under six months ago, Guild traders and desert tribesman began to report sightings of a mysterious warrior who struck without warning or mercy, wielding a fearsome black daiklave which drank the life of any who came too near. Although the dark warrior remains a complete cipher, his sinister mien and the uncanny quiet which accompanies his appearances have left little doubt in people's minds that he is the herald of the Pharaoh's return.
Description
The Pharaoh Who Dreams of Unbroken Silence appears as a dead god-king, wearing an orichalcum deathmask depicting the face of an adrogynously handsome young man. He is swathed in layer upon layer of elaborately decorated funeral vestments; it is unclear whether or not there is actually a body under the costume. He sits motionless on his throne, arms crossed over his chest, the blank lacquered eyes of his mask staring at nothing. The Pharaoh never moves, but it is clear that he is more than just a powerless idol; his presence fills the air around him, muting sound and chilling the souls of all who behold him. He never speaks, but those whose services he requires nevertheless know what it is they must do.
The Pharaoh has been known to strike his enemies dead from within their dreams. His ability to instantaneously cast people and objects into the deepest Labyrinth is rather less well-known, as no one has ever survived it.
Place of Residence
The Pharaoh Who Dreams of Unbroken Silence makes his home in the Sinking City, a First Age ruin located deep in the deserts of the central South. Its name comes from its peculiar defense mechanism: when a magic word is spoken in the correct spot, the entire city sinks beneath the sand, leaving no trace of its presence. A different word, spoken in the palace throne room, causes it to rise back up. At the end of the First Age, the city's Solar ruler, hard-pressed by attackers, caused it to sink, cutting off reinforcements to the enemy who had penetrated it. However, he was unable to defeat those who remained in the city itself, and was slain. Unfortunately, he was the only one who knew the word which would cause the city to resurface; the surviving enemy, and thousands of ordinary citizens, were trapped in the subterranean ruins. Some died of starvation, some of suicide, and some of madness, but they all died. The resulting shadowland existed underground for centuries, until the recent advent of the Pharaoh, who caused the city to periodically rise up. The shadowland now extends well beyond the city proper, and slowly expands with each passing day, propelled by the Pharaoh's will.
The Pharaoh is the only being who knows the magic words which can make the city rise and sink. Typically, it stays underground except when minions are coming or going. It also surfaces during Calibration, staying aboveground for the entire five-day period.
The City itself is a maze of adobe and plaster. All of the streets, even the great central plaza, are roofed-over, and only the largest buildings have windows (made of the same durable First Age glass as Chiaroscuro). There are numerous fountains within the city walls, but all of them except for the well at the center of the plaza are now dry. Many walls, both indoors and out, are decorated with fading murals which were once gaily-colored depictions of pastoral and everyday scenes. In most places, the glowglobes which light the streets flicker dimly, but some areas are still brightly-lit. Others, where the globes have been smashed, are enveloped in complete blackness; the darkest of these streets lead into the Labyrinth. The streets are covered in a thick carpet of dust, undisturbed for years.
Nothing moves within the Sinking City; not the air, not even the spirits of the dead. The entire city is silent and empty.
Followers
The Pharaoh's only known servant is the mysterious silent deathknight. Like the Pharaoh, little is known about him. His gender remains indeterminate, as his slim form is always hidden beneath dark plate armor and a featureless helmet visor, and further obscured by flowing desert robes. Even his name is unknown, as his terrible grand daiklave produces an aura of total silence for dozens of yards around him. What is known is that he is very powerful, easily the match of the strongest Immaculate monks. Some speculate that his power is a direct extension of the Pharaoh's.
The silent warrior's true identity is that of Hollow Elegy, the only surviving member of the Black Triumvirate. If anyone succeeds in unmasking Hollow Elegy, they will find the deathknight to be a pale, young-looking woman with ash-gray hair and colorless, unblinking eyes. The solid black circle of the Midnight Caste is permanently visible on her forehead. Even outside of the silence surrounding her Mute Requiem daiklave, she is unable to speak; an ugly white scar disfigures her slender throat. She is also completely impassive, betraying no reaction to even the harshest provocation.
Whatever spark of humanity once existed in Hollow Elegy's heart has long since ceased to exist, along with any memories of her past self. She is completely at peace with what she is, and cannot be "saved." There is nothing left to redeem.
In her dreams, Hollow Elegy's master speaks to her. In her dreams, there is only Silence.
Mad Schemes
The Pharaoh does not seek dominion over either the living or the dead; his only remaining follower is Hollow Elegy. The vast armies he commanded only a few years ago have been consigned to Oblivion by his own hand, and the Sinking City shadowland has become a pit of emptiness from which nothing, living or dead, ever returns.
The only Deathlords who show any signs of knowing or caring about the recent change in the Pharaoh are First and Forsaken Lion, Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black Feathers, and Eye and Seven Despairs. Only two months ago, Hollow Elegy annihilated an entire detachment of the First and Forsaken Lion's Legion Sanguinary as it was performing maneuvers in the desert, leaving fewer than twenty survivors. Enraged, the Forsaken Lion made ready for immediate retaliation. However, his preparations came to an abrupt halt after he received a secret communicade from Eye and Seven Despairs, and all of First and Forsaken Lion's followers are now under strict orders to give the Pharaoh's shadowland, and his emissary, a wide berth.
Soon after this, the Princess Magnificent attempted to contact the Pharaoh covertly, hoping that he might help her escape the First and Forsaken Lion's thrall. Son of Crows never returned, and his Monstrance stands empty and inert, no longer connected to his Essence. This development is quite upsetting -- even a little frightening -- to the Princess Magnificent, and it is probably only a matter of time before she tells First and Forsaken Lion of it.
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