Khonsu

Khonsu dominated the court from an early age, succeeding her father at the age of twenty-three. Her father was still in good health and relatively young when he died, but none dared to whisper rumours of regicide or patricide, or question her fitness to rule. This was proven wise, as Khonsu seized the reigns of power in an iron grip. Any dissent to her rule was swiftly crushed, and her armies, spy service, and secret police all grew in size and power.
Neighbouring realms viewed this with some suspicion and alarm, and their fears were soon borne out. Khonsu began a campaign of conquest, personally leading her armies to victory after victory. Her realm almost doubled during her reign, and wealth poured into the Empire's coffers. Some of that wealth went to hire court wizards and necromancers, increasing the imperial military strength to greater heights and speeding the pace of the empire's expansion.
Rumours spread of dark rites in the court, but her undeniable success prevented any move against her. Eventually it became known that she practiced torture as a hobby, and sometimes her victims were raised or reanimated by her necromancers. Her personal guard were never seen outside their full-body armour, and some suspected that they were undead warriors bound into her service.
Her favoured concubines were seldom seen in the court, either male or female, and almost never without being clad in enveloping robes. Despite this several nobles whispered of having seen the sheen of scales on their wrists and necks. The man who served as her unofficial consort had large green eyes which were slitted.
During Khonsu's reign, the yuan-ti of the desert enjoyed favourable relations, although her army's strength ensured they could not overtly plot against her and the human realm. This was soon reversed after her death, when her successor ordered the army to stamp out the yuan-ti wherever they could be found. Several yuan-ti settlements were destroyed completely, and the survivors hunted down.
Khonsu built herself an immense funerary pyramid using a small army of skilled craftsmen supplemented by slave labour from conquered nations. She made no secret of the fact it was filled with deadly traps & it was rumoured to contain undead as well.
Dying at the age of sixty-nine from an injury taken during one of her hunts, Khonsu was interred in her pyramid, then it was sealed and bindings were placed upon it by the high priests of every good-aligned deity in the region to ensure she would not rise again, nor leave the pyramid. A guard was mounted on the pyramid and her funerary temples for almost a thousand years to ensure she could not attempt to seize control and reign as an immortal, undead, evil pharaoh.

Personality Characteristics

Virtues & Personality perks

A superb strategist, Khonsu excelled in warfare and administration. After conquering a country, she moved in officials, administrators, clerks and quartermasters. Corruption beyond the minimum was crushed, and the new additions to the empire flourished. Her vast wealth was not gained by bleeding the empire dry, but by enriching it beyond any previous measure of success. Trade and manufacture grew enormously, and many merchants became immensely wealthy in their own right.

Vices & Personality flaws

Khonsu had a penchant for torture, murder and dark magic, although her sinister vices were kept under strict control and not permitted to interfere with the rule of her empire. The palace prison held victims ready to entertain her, although these were usually criminals condemned of capital crimes.

Social

Reign

After ascending to the throne in the year 3,124 Pre-Sundering, Khonsu ruled until 3,078 PS. Equally successful on the battlefield and the throne room, the Empire flourished under her rule. Such was her success that after her death many of the conquered nations did not attempt to secede, choosing to remain within the Empire and all the benefits it brought.

Social Aptitude

She was a powerful and charismatic ruler, with her court filled with attentive nobles and ambassadors. Many nobles vied to become her consort, even after her sinister personal vices became known. Always appearing haughty and aloof, her dark gaze was able to captivate men and women alike, and she was rumoured to be both sexually voracious and indiscriminate. This was never confirmed, however, leading some to dismiss the rumours as mere fabrications by those jealous of her power and success.

Hobbies & Pets

The pharaoh was rumoured to have a taste for torture, and was known to surround herself with dark wizards and necromancers. She kept a pair of trained displacer beasts as pets, and often hunted live prey with them. The subjects of these hunts were usually animals, sometimes unusual or dangerous species that had been imported or raised to hunt, but were sometimes condemned criminals. The criminals were motivated to provide a challenge for her, as if they were able to evade Khonsu and her pets for a specified period of time, they would receive a pardon. Few survived long enough to be pardoned.

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Current Location

Pyramid of Khonsu

Life

3147 PS 3078 PS 69 years old

Gender

Female

Ruled Locations

• Pyramid of Khonsu