Queen Neferess
- This article is about Queen Neferess' biography. For the encounter in Hallowfall, see The Broken Queen.
 Queen Neferess | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title |
The First Ascended, Queen of Peace,[1] The Broken Queen |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | Nerubian hulk (Humanoid) |
| Level | ?? Elite |
| Reaction | Alliance Horde |
| Affiliation(s) | Kingdom of Azj-Kahet |
| Former occupation(s) | Queen of Azj-Kahet |
| Location | Transformatory, City of Threads |
| Status | Alive |
| Relative(s) | Ansurek (daughter) |
Queen Neferess is the former queen of the kingdom of Azj-Kahet. Dearly beloved by her subjects,[2][3] she guarded the nerubians' independence from their former Old God masters until she was betrayed and usurped by her daughter, Ansurek, after the latter allied with Xal'atath.[4] Neferess is publicly believed to be dead, but was in truth kept alive deep in the City of Threads and transformed into the First Ascended.[5]
Biography
War of the Spider
During the War of the Spider, the northern nerubian kingdom of Azjol-Nerub came under siege from the Undead Scourge. Thrice, King Anub'arak sent demands to Neferess, asking her and the Kaheti to lend their aid in the war. Neferess believed that the Kaheti could potentially have turned the tide of the war, but since Azj-Kahet was too remote to be threatened by the Scourge, she did not want to invite death on her people by intervening. She also argued that Anub'arak could finish the war that he himself had started. She cast out his emissary, Kah'teht, refused to answer his demands,[6][7][8] and sealed the tunnels that connected Azj-Kahet to Azjol-Nerub.[9] Azjol-Nerub fell to the Scourge, and Neferess subsequently gave her empire the moniker of "The Last Kingdom", seeing it as the last bastion of nerubian civilization.[10]
Fourth War
“Azj-Kahet is strong. We need not bow to our ancient masters again. Our dynasty will rise.”
- — Neferess[11]
Neferess took great pride in her daughter, Ansurek, who according to tradition would ascend to the throne following her mother's death.[11] As N'Zoth's Black Empire prepared to make their last stand at Ny'alotha, they sent an emissary to Azj-Kahet to conscript the Kaheti. Neferess refused their demands, as she did not wish her people to return to service to the Old Gods, and instead personally executed the emissary. For her "treachery", the emissary predicted that Neferess' bloodline would "sever itself".[4] Neferess invited Ansurek to witness the confrontation as her first step to becoming queen.[11]
The War Within
Years later, Azj-Kahet faced hardship and starvation. Ansurek questioned Neferess' decision to refuse the Old Gods, which had brought them freedom but not greatness, but Neferess was steadfast in her conviction. The Harbinger Xal'atath reached out to Neferess and offered her the opportunity to reign forever and make her people powerful again by transforming them with the Black Blood of the now-dead Old Gods. Neferess again refused, not knowing that Xal'atath had reached out to Ansurek as well. Ansurek accepted Xal'atath's offer and betrayed and stabbed her mother to seize the throne for herself.[4] She then imprisoned and experimented on Neferess with Black Blood, transforming her into the first of the Ascended.[5] Officially, Neferess was declared dead, and Ansurek blamed her death on the Hallowfall Arathi in order to justify Azj-Kahet's war against the latter.[1]
Widow Arak'nai, Neferess' former Royal Weaver, initially hesitated to launch an insurrection against Ansurek on the basis of her being Neferess' daughter[12] "led astray" by Xal'atath.[2] Executor Nizrek convinced Arak'nai her that Ansurek was nothing like her mother and was working with Xal'atath willingly, and that the Severed Threads could restore Neferess' ideals only by deposing Ansurek.[12]
Lilian Voss, Y'tekhi, and an adventurer later discovered the imprisoned Neferess when they were scouting the Transformatory. They tried to free her and bring her back to Arak'nai to see if she could treat her. However, while they were able to dissolve most of the queen's restraints, Xal'atath arrived and seized control of Y'tekhi's mind, forcing Lilian and the adventurer to retreat.[13]
Neferess was amongst the nerubians forces that launched an all-out assault on the Arathi in Hallowfall, where she personally guarded the entrance of the Priory of the Sacred Flame, which had been seized by Xal'atath. As she fought against Alleria Windrunner and her allies, Neferess tried fighting against Xal'atath's command,[14] and was subsequently spared after being defeated, earning them the gratitude of Executor Nizrek. In the aftermath of the conflict, Neferess was brought to the Weaver's Lair. While Neferess was horrified at her condition and wished to be alone, Arak'nai vowed to remain by her side.[15]
Gallery
Neferess (right) and her daughter Ansurek.
Neferess after being betrayed by Ansurek.
An image of Neferess displayed by the Forgotten Shadecaster.
A statue of Neferess in the Umbral Bazaar.
.jpg)
Notes
- Despite being referred to as the 'First Ascended', Neferess is actually a nerubian hulk; a type of nerubian that was created during the process of refining ascension. This title is likely more of a mockery than an actual assignment; as Neferess opposed the concept proposed by Xal'atath.
- This is further validated by Y'tekhi, who is an ascended, showing shock and disgust at what they had turned her queen into.
Patch changes
Patch 11.0.2 (2024-08-13): Added.
References
- ^ a b Queen Neferess (statue)
- ^ a b
[78-80] The Tangled Web
- ^ [78-80] Like a Spider on the Wall
- ^ a b c Threads of Destiny
- ^ a b [80] Making of a Monster
- ^ Kah'teht
- ^ Forgotten Shadecaster
- ^ Weathered Shadecaster
- ^ Old V'k quotes
- ^ The Art of World of Warcraft: The War Within, pg. 156
- ^ a b c Neglected Shadecaster
- ^ a b [78-80] Uniting Severed Threads
- ^ [80] The Queen's Chains
- ^ [80] A Light in the Dark
- ^ [80] Return to Dornogal
External links
| Preceded by: Unknown |
Position: Queen of Azj-Kahet |
Succeeded by: Ansurek |