Naphemil the Navigator was the third Lord Marshal of the Necromonger Empire. He was the father of the Necro Philosophy. Early in his reign, he ordered that the Necropolis be unearthed and entombed within a large ship, the Basilica, so that Necroism’s first church could travel alongside its devotees into the stars. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Baylock the Brutal.
History
Naphemil rose quickly within the ranks of the Necromonger military, proving to be both a capable warrior and cartographer. During his early years as Lord Marshal, Naphemil laid the foundations for what all Necromongers now know simply as “The Campaign;” a universal war of extermination against all living things. After being named Lord Marshal by Oltovm, Naphemil ordered that the Necropolis, the first true church of Necroism, should be unearthed from the soil of Asylum and brought into space, so that it might one day travel, with its followers, to the Underverse. The massive structure was then entombed within an even larger vessel: the Basilica. The first Necromonger church would then travel with the armada into space on Ascension Day. In the years of the Third Regime, Necromonger society served its purpose well by spreading the word of Covu the Transcended far and wide, gathering converts by the thousands. This swell of new blood brought refinement to the conversion process, which before this point had been little more than a metaphorical shift from one faith to another. In this new age, those who followed Necroism would be more than just humans who had abandoned their old faith for a new one. Thus, the Conversion Process was created.
The pain-deadening act used in the modern era is but a faint echo of Covu's own experiences at the hands of the Austeres. Just as he was tortured to the point of non-feeling, new converts are put through a painful process that demonstrates how one kind of pain can deaden others; how pain can actually bring spiritual bliss. The office of "Purifier Principal" was then created to oversee new conversions and ensure that all accepted the faith.
Despite these gains, the Necromonger faith began bleeding off numbers, as infighting among officers and natural attrition outpaced conversions. After the enormous expenditure of resources that marked the Second Regime, it seemed the faith was floundering. Some Necromongers began to see Naphemil as more of a planner than a leader, more strategist than warrior. He was, as Oltovm concluded, a good choice for the ascension period of Necromonger history, but that period was now challenged by new realities.
Naphemil was killed in a dispute with then-commander Baylock, and this unapologetic murder marked the first time that a Lord Marshal had been dethroned by violence. Debate raged as to whether Baylock was entitled to the post of Lord Marshal. Ultimately, the teachings of Covu prevailed, as Baylock defended his act with Covu's own words: "You keep what you kill." Baylock ascended to the throne of the Necropolis, and all Necromongers knelt before him. The Empire now knew two kinds of succession: appointment and murder.
| Preceded by Oltovm |
Lord Marshal of the Necromongers | Succeeded by Baylock |
Behind The Scenes
- David Twohy has identified the statues as such.
Sources
- The Chronicles of Riddick (Novel) by Alan Dean Foster, pp. 164-165