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| “ | Settra does not serve! Settra rules! | „ |
| ~ Settra in defiance of Nagash. |
Settra the Imperishable also known by many other titles is a villainous character from the Warhammer Fantasy tabletop war game. A fearsome undead being, Settra is one of the most powerful human monarchs and warriors that has ever lived. In life, he was the first Priest-King of Khermi and the supreme ruler of the Empire of Nehekhara, the first true human civilisation that is now known as the Land of the Dead. Having reclaimed these titles following his reanimation, Settra subsequently became the undisputed leader/True King of the Tomb Kings faction.
A ruthless and uncompromising tyrant, as a mortal human, Settra ruled over one of (if not) the largest and greatest empires that has ever existed. Since his return as an immortal undead, the King of Kings has made it his ambition to restore Nehekhara to its former glory. He also waits for the inevitable return of Nagash, the man that brought his legacy to ruin and condemned his people to an eternity of undeath. Once this is done and all of his enemies are defeated, Settra intends to rule over the entire earth and its surviving people for all time.
These ambitions were eventually halted by the coming of The End Times, which saw Settra’s dominion challenged in a way such as never before. With the fate of the entire world at stake, Settra and his Tomb Kings inevitably found themselves swept into the fray. With the Hordes of Chaos laying waste to the world, Nagash finally returned, greater and more powerful than ever before. In the titanic confrontation that followed, the fate of Nehekhara and the Tomb Kings was settled once and for all. Promises, old and new, were made then broken, as the King of Kings journeyed further than he ever had before in a bid to prove that nobody could challenge the might of Settra, the King of Kings.
Outside the tabletop game, Settra is a playable character in the Warhammer Total War video game. He is the leader of the Khemri branch of the Tomb Kings faction and is voiced by Richard Reed.
Divine Titles[]
Apart from his basic address of King Settra, the imperishable leader of the Tomb Kings has acquired many other divine titles throughout his extensive lifetimes, befitting of a ruler of his status. Some examples include:-
- Settra the Great.
- The High King of Nehekhara.
- The King of Kings.
- Lord of the Earth.
- Monarch of the Sky.
- Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert.
- Ruler of the Four Horizons.
- Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands.
- Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's legions.
Personality[]
Even before he became undead, Settra was legendary for his arrogance, insatiable greed, his lust for power and short temper. In life, his subjects feared their King just as much as they loved him, for Settra demanded their absolute loyalty and obedience. Considering it his divine right to rule, the King of King will suffer no rival. A military genius and tactician, few of those foolish enough to oppose Settra ever lived to tell the tale.
Like many in power, the mortal King Settra hated the concept of death. Despite all his accomplishments in life, this was the one enemy that even the High King of Nehekhara proved unable to overcome. All that the tyrannical King could do before finally succumbing was to make the necessary preparations to ensure his resurrection. Unfortunately, it was these same actions that eventually led to the rise of Nagash and his vampires as well as the doom of Nehekhara.
Despite all of this, Settra is no fool. In life, he was the only King of Nehekhara to heed the warnings of the priesthood. This allowed him to lead Nehekhara at the height of its power, with the Golden Age ending upon his death. After reconquering Nehekhara as an undead, it was Settra that devised the necessary strategies to prepare for the inevitable return of Nagash and to deal with the Tomb Kings encroaching enemies. Whilst these plans ultimately failed, it is a testament to Settra's resilience.
Having achieved the immortality that he once yearned for, Settra who has lost none of his thirst for power or conquest is determined to see the restoration of Nehekhara under his leadership. These traits make him not only one of the most powerful and ruthless men to have ever existed but a man that most would be wise not to cross.
External Sources[]
- Warhammer Fantasy Wiki - Settra and The End Times
- Lexicanum Wiki - Settra the Imperishable
Trivia[]
- Like rest of the Tomb Kings faction, Settra is clearly based off of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. specifically the warrior Pharaohs of the New Kingdom Period (the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties) who led Egypt during its Golden Age.
- Although he has no specified historical counterpart, Settra appears to be a combination of Thutmoses III and Ramses II/Ramses the Great.
- Thutmoses III (1481 - 1425 BC) was a Warrior King who expanded the Egyptian Empire's border to its largest extent.
- Meanwhile, Ramses II (c1303 - 1213 BC), himself a very capable warrior, ruled Egypt at the height of its power. Not only did he build fantastic monuments (many of which survive to this day), he also lived far beyond the average life expectancy of the time. When he finally died in 1213 BC at the age of ninety, the Egyptian Empire began to decline.
- Settra's unification of Nehekhara also bears some similarity to Menes, a Pharaoh of the 1st Dynasty. Menes is believed by some historians to have unified both Upper and Lower Egypt into one Kingdom and may have been the first Pharaoh ever.
- Although he has no specified historical counterpart, Settra appears to be a combination of Thutmoses III and Ramses II/Ramses the Great.
- In a further link to Egypt, Settra’s name is a combination of two Gods from the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon; Set (also known as Seth) and Ra. In the Egyptian pantheon, Set was the ruler of the deserts, disorder and violence, whereas Ra (the God of the Sun) was believed to rule over everything; from the sky, to the Earth and even the underworld. Given Settra's uncompromising desire to conquer and rule, this name suits him perfectly.
- One of Settra's titles, King of Kings was historically used by Ancient Persian rulers including the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid dynasties.
- Settra's desire for immortality and the lengths he took to achieve are similar to the historical actions of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China.
- Although the Tomb Kings are presented as a largely neutral faction, Settra's actions (as stated in the synopsis section) make it very clear that he at least is a villain.
- Within the Warhammer fantasy genre, Settra is the only named character to have ever rejected the temptations of the Chaos Gods.
- Settra has yet to make an appearance within the franchises sequel series, Warhammer the Age of Sigmar, leaving his true fate at the end of the End Times unknown.
- However, when the Warhammer Fantasy prequel game, Warhammer the Old World was released in early 2024, Settra was the first villain to be reintroduced to the tabletop game fighting against the Bretonians.
